Moonlight Lullaby
by Kairianne
Summary: They lost each other once, but now are found. He was at death's door, but she pulled him back. Now he needs her strength to face the world he has woken up in, because a lot changes in four years and he's not the same man as he was back then. T for now.
1. Prologue

**Okies, he's the prologue to my first fanfic. It's a Final Fantasy VII AU and if you cannot guess who the main character in this story is going to be by reading this, then I'm gonna hit you with a wet fish... yes, a fish... and it shall be wet... and slimy... and I really need to go to bed now... ANYWAY! Read and review to tell me what you think, but you can always wait to review after reading Chappie One, cause this is quite short... okay I'm done rambling...**

**DISCLAIMER: (And I'm only doing this once because I'm saving my fingers to type the fic instead of typing disclaimers at the beginning of every chapter) I, Kairianne, does not own, and will never own, Final Fantasy VII. It is the property of Square Enix. But any OCs in this fic are mine and if I catch you using them without my permission, I will smite you.  
**

* * *

**Prologue**

He could remember seeing a pair of glowing, deep blue sapphire eyes looking at him through the murky green substance he was floating in. They reminded him of the deep ocean waters of Costa de Sol. But despite how beautiful they were, he could tell that they were not human eyes. They were a dog's... no, a _wolf's_ eye, but filled with just as much intelligence and emotion as any human. Right now they stared at him with sadness and pain.

Before he slipped back into the darkness, he heard a soft voice speak:

_:I'm sorry...:_

_

* * *

_

He couldn't move, barely breathe. Every breath he did take sent a wave of blinding agony through his body. How long had he been lying here? He should be dead right now. Cloud was already gone, after his final words to the blonde:

"_My honor... my dreams... they're yours now..._

"_You'll be... my living legacy..."_

No, he didn't say it in that order. Everything was jumbled up in his head. _Guess that means it's almost over._

He thought he could hear footsteps approaching him. Gathering up the last of his strength, which wasn't much, he forced his eyes open. There was a shadowed figure over him. He couldn't focus on features, his sight was too far gone now. But he heard a voice.

"I found him, Kay, and he's just barely alive..."

The last thing he remembered before darkness took him was those blue eyes again and that soft voice.

_:We found you...:_


	2. Chapter One

**Sorry it took so long to update! The people who were giving my apartment building free internet moved out, so now I dont have internet. I have to call sometime and set up internet at my apartment, but in the meantime, I use the internet at my aunts. So yeah, I am posting the first two chapters and I will update as frequently as possible. Please be patient with me! T-T**

* * *

**Chapter One**

"Oh, come on!"

"No..."

"Pleeeassseee!"

"No..."

"Pauleeene!"

"I said no...!"

"...meanie..."

The older woman just rolled her eyes at the younger woman, who was currently pouting in her direction. "Hey, I'm sorry," she told her, "but you know that it's too risky." She brushed her dark brown bangs away from her dark brown eyes that were just faintly tinted with a green glow. Although she was pushing her mid-sixties, she looked like she did when she was fifty-four, even though her facial features made people guess that she was in her mid-forties. And she knew that she was going to stay looking like this for a long time. "I'm not taking that chance of you getting seen by the wrong person."

"It's been five years though!" the younger one wailed. "I'm getting tired of hiding out here in the ruins. I miss people, and besides, Hojo is dead and Rufus Shinra isn't as twisted as his old man. Things are better now, Paulene, so why are you so worried? Why are we still living out here when we can move to Edge like everyone else?"

"I just don't want us in that situation again," the older woman said. "I don't want to see _you_ in that situation again."

The younger woman looked at the other and sighed, closing her dark blue eyes. Though it had been five years, she remembered it all vividly: the painful experiments, doses of mako being pumped into her that made her veins burn, and the horror she went through during and after her first change, when she realized just what that mad scientist had turned her into. She thought Hojo turned her into a monster and if it hadn't been for the older woman, she probably would have gone insane. The two of them managed to escape, but not before Hojo changed them so much.

She ran a hand through her shoulder-blade length black hair, a few tendrils of the ice-blue that framed her face swaying in front of her vision. She was twenty-five now, but she still looked like the young eighteen year old when Shinra found where she'd been living and kidnapped her and her surrogate mother and stuck them in a lab to be used as experiments for two years. Before, she hadn't minded Shinra, mostly because her best friend was connected to them, but after what they had done to her, she hated them with a passion until they were finally taken down by AVALANCHE.

"Yeah, I guess..." she agreed softly. Sure, Shinra was under a new leader now, but they were still secretive and couldn't be trusted fully, though their intentions seemed good.

She knew how Paulene felt; she didn't want to see the older woman going though any of that again either.

"Thanks, Kayleigh," the other said with a small smile.

Kayleigh nodded and then stood up from her place at the table. "I'm gonna go check on him," she said before heading towards the hallway.

She made her way towards the bedroom in the back and slowly opened the door. There was a single bed in the room that sat under the window with a bedside table beside it and a large dresser on the other side of the room. Sitting propped up in the bed was a young man who looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, despite his twenty-six years, with black hair and blue-violet eyes that glowed slightly with mako. His black hair fell limply to his shoulders, instead of his normal spiked look she remembered always seeing him in. However, instead of looking up at her entrance, he continued to stare blankly, head drooped slightly, eyes partly lidded and fogged over.

He was in a comatose-like state and had been like that for four years.

"Hey, Zack," Kayleigh said softly, walking over to him and sitting beside him on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

There was no vocal response as usual, but she saw his fingers twitch slightly at the sound of her voice. Her smile grew at that. He was slowly getting better. A year ago, she would receive no response at all from him telling her that he could hear her. When she and Paulene first found him, he was close to death, bullet wounds riddled his chest and one bullet to his head right above his left eye near his hairline. Between her and Paulene they managed to save him but he remained in a coma for almost half a year before his eyes opened and he remained in a comatose state, not speaking and unable to respond to the world around him. Kayleigh had managed to get him to eat three days after he opened his eyes but other than that, he just existed.

Kayleigh reached up and touched the 'x' shaped scar on the lower part of his left cheek. She always wondered where he got that. Zack blinked slowly to her touch and his hand moved an inch or two to the side.

"There's a big celebration going on tomorrow night in Edge, around that monument that Shinra put up there," she told him. "It's been three years since that day, you know, so everyone is celebrating for the day the planet was saved. I was hoping to go this year, but Paulene says it's too risky and she's right... after that whole Deepground incident, there's no way to know that there are still more of old Shinra goons out there, which isn't good for us." She sighed and lowered her hand. "I don't want to go through all that again, and I'm sure you don't either."

Zack's hand moved again and Kayleigh swore she saw his head lift a little bit. His hand moved, his fingers lifting slightly, in her direction and she took the hint. She slid her hand under his and held onto it gently. She smiled again when she felt his fingers close slightly around her hand. "You're real mobile today, Zack," she told him. "You'll be coming out of this in no time." Kayleigh looked down at their hands. Sadness and guilt trickled through her. "Although you wouldn't be like this if I had gotten you out of there when we did."

She shook her head and laughed softly. "Paulene would be slapping me upside the head if she heard me say that. There was nothing I could have done then, and I'm sorry for that, but I can do something now and that's to make you better. I hope that'll be good enough." She smiled warmly when Zack replied with another shift of his hand.

* * *

_He looked out across the wide spread of ocean before him. It was so blue, the sky looking white along the horizon. The sun beat down on him, warming the cream-colored sand around him and making his blue-violet eyes droop. The ten year old yawned loudly, running a hand through his tousled, spiky black hair. He flopped to his back on the sand and looked at the sky before lazily closing his eyes. He loved it when he and his parents went to Costa de Sol every summer. He loved being here on the beach, listening to the waves washing up onto the shore._

_He opened his eyes again and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a pair of bright hazel eyes surrounded by chin-length strawberry-blonde hair looking down at him._

"_Whoa!" he yelped, shooting up into a sitting position. Behind him, the girl giggled and he let out a soft growl that didn't stop the smile that turned up the corners of his lips. He turned towards the girl as he pushed himself up to his feet. "Give it a rest, Ka..."_

_Screaming... fiery pain... needles... the stink of mako and blood... a scream of pain and rage that morphed into a wild howling that tore deep into his soul..._

_Deep blue eyes staring... _:I'm sorry...:

"_Pops... park us over by the rocks..."_

:We found you...:

* * *

Kayleigh walked along the streets of Edge, the center of the city being the busiest part. People bustled around her, going about their own business, but not bothering her with even a glance. She sighed as she continued to pull the cart along behind her, which held pottery that she had made and painted along with heavy quilts that Paulene made. She was selling to anyone who would buy and most would, being attracted to the colors of these items. Her hair was covered in soot to hide the blue streaks that framed her face and she was dressed in a white sleeveless top, a deep blue skirt with a frayed hem that fell to her knees and soft brown leather boots that went up a few inches past her ankles. Usually Paulene would go into Edge to sell their wares, for she was less likely to be recognized than Kayleigh would, but the older woman was having one of her bad days when the after effects of the mako poisoning she had gone through hit her, which left her with skull-splitting headaches and no energy to move. So Kayleigh said she would go out for a few hours, promising that she would stay on her guard.

She glanced up at the monument that had been erected in the center of the city, being replaced by Shinra when the old one had been destroyed by Bahamut and the Remnants. She was wondering how Zack was doing. That morning he had let out a soft grunt, as if he had been trying to talk to her and he had lifted his hand a good three inches up off the bed before his strength and/or concentration gave out. Kayleigh had been so excited that she praised him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He shocked her even more when his response to that was the corners of his mouth turning up in a faint, but definite, smile.

Kayleigh was knocked out of her thoughts by someone roughly pushing into her. "Watch where you're going, slum-rat," the man who pushed her said, his buddies leering at her.

"You ran into me, jackass!" Kayleigh replied, her temper flaring up.

"You better watch your mouth, you little bitch," the man snarled. "Why don't you go back into the hole you crawled out of." Then before she realized it, the man grabbed her roughly by the front of her shirt and threw her to the ground.

A growl ripped from her throat before she could stop it and she started to turn to lunge at the man, but was stopped by a calm and deep voice saying, "Back off and leave her alone, or you deal with me." She looked up and her eyes widened at who she saw standing between her and her attackers.

He was a bit older than the last time she saw him, floating in a tube of green mako, but other than that he hadn't changed. Golden blonde hair in a messy spiked look, cerulean blue eyes tinted with green, she recognized Cloud Strife instantly. _Oh boy..._ she thought to herself.

The men slowly backed away and then took off. Cloud watched them go before turning to her and offering a hand up. "You okay?" he asked her.

"Y-yeah," Kayleigh replied, taking his hand and standing up. "Just my pride is a little injured, you know..."

Cloud let out a amused grunt and gave her a small smile. "They won't bother you again," he assured her.

Kayleigh nodded and said, "Thanks." She then looked back at her cart and said, "I need to head home. But thank you again."

Cloud nodded and said, "It's no problem. Be careful."

"I will," she replied and then hurried to her cart and began to head back towards home. _OhShiva!OhShiva!OhShiva! _ She felt guilty now about not saying anything to the blonde about Zack. _It would have meant a lot of explaining, and I don't think Zack would want Cloud to see him the way he is now, but still..._ Her mind was buzzing all the way home.

* * *

"I saw Cloud today, Zack," Kayleigh said to the comatose man. "He helped me out when a few guys started to harass me. He... he looks real good, Zack." She looked up from stirring the gravy into his mashed potatoes to look at him. She could see him faintly smile again. "I wanted to tell him about you, but I don't think now is the best time. We'll wait until you get better and then I'll leave that decision up to you." She brought the spoon to her lips, blowing on the food softly to cool it before bringing it to Zack's lips. "Here you go Zack. Paulene made the gravy from scratch. She says that you better like it or else."

Zack's mouth opened and Kayleigh gave him a bite of food. She watched as he worked it around his mouth for a bit before swallowing. A smile formed again on his lips and Kayleigh grinned. "I'll let Paulene know you like it." She continued to help Zack eat until his bowl was empty and his glass of water was gone. As she set the dishes on top of his bedside table, she saw Zack's head lift up.

Though his eyes were still fogged over, his gaze was on her. Kayleigh stared at the young man, her dark blue eyes widening as they locked onto his blue-violet ones. She sat still as his right hand lifted up slowly, trembling slightly, until his fingertips lightly touched her cheek. "Z-Zack...?" Kayleigh whispered softly, afraid to move in case she broke his concentration.

"How is everything go- Oh sweet Shiva...!" Paulene stopped dead at the doorway, staring at the sight before her. "Kay..."

"Shh..." Kayleigh said softly, hushing the older woman, her eyes never leaving Zack's.

A frown marred his handsome features a few minutes later as his hand began to tremble harder. Acting quickly, Kayleigh reached up and held his hand in place with her own. With her added support, his hand steadied and his frown was replaced with a small smile.

They stayed like that for some time, Kayleigh wasn't sure how long. After a while, Zack's eyelids began to droop and flutter as sleep tried to claim him. Kayleigh smiled at him as she brought his hand down, feeling his faint resistance. "It's okay," she told him. "Get some sleep. You can see me in the morning."

She got Zack laid down and sat with him, holding his hand, until his breathing became slow and even, indicating sleep. And even then she found it hard to pull away.

"Is he awake now, or what?" Paulene asked in amazement when the two of them were in the front room. "He's never been that... _aware_ before."

"I don't think he's awake yet, but he's much more aware of his surroundings," Kayleigh said, shrugging. "But this was a huge leap for him. I just hope that it wasn't some random fluke."

"I know it... kid doesn't deserve to live like that."

"No... no he doesn't... I'm going to head out for a bit, alright?"

"Alright, but be careful," Paulene told her.

Kayleigh made it to the outskirts of Midgar with no problem. She sighed as she stared at the nearly full moon, feeling her body tingle in its silvery light. She made her way to the cliffs, running at a steady pace that made the muscles in her legs burn pleasantly. When she was safely concealed by the rocks, she shed herself of her clothing and then, crouching low, she sprang up towards the top of the cliff, her arms outstretched before her.

As she neared the top of the cliff, her body began to glow with a blue and green light, her eyes glowing brightly from the mako inside of her. When she reached the top, her hands now turned into paws, touched the ground first followed by the rest of her body. She shook her fur loose and threw back her head to let out a howl to the sky.

She was now a large wolf, standing, from foot to shoulder, as tall as a average man to his shoulders. She had black fur with ice-blue tribal markings around her ankles, shoulders and hips. Blue highlighted her thick-furred tail and the spiky crest of fur that ran from between her ears to the back of her shoulder blades. Her upper canines were slightly longer than a normal wolf's and protruded slightly passed her upper lip. Her paws were a bit heavier, ears a bit bigger and, despite its rough-looking appearance, her fur was as soft as the finest silk. Her eyes were the same dark blue as they were when she was human.

The air around her cooled slightly, but it didn't bother her, it was part of her power. To control water and ice, Hojo wanted that power for his own control but Kayleigh fled before he could gain it. His twisted experiments turned her into this beautiful creature, the mad scientist thinking he could control her if she was a beast, but he was wrong. Mixing her gift and his experiments turned her into a shape-shifter. When she was a wolf, she still had her mind as a human. What she had become frightened her at first, but now that she understood her new power she accepted it as a part of herself.

Kayleigh pawed the ground, making a 'huffing' noise into the night air. Zack's progress made her want to leap and run for joy and excitement. _:He cannot run,:_ she said said to herself, her voice not emitting from her mouth but her mind, _:so I shall run for the both of us.:_ And with that she took off, blood and mako singing in her veins.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Kayleigh woke up the next morning stretched out like a cat on her cot on the floor. Sunlight streamed in through the window, warming her sun-kissed skin. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head, yawning loudly. She then looked over to see Zack already awake, his blue-violet eyes on her and seeming a bit clearer today. "Morning, Zack," she said with a smile which grew when the young man replied with a smile of his own.

Kayleigh got up from the cot and went over to help Zack sit up in bed, propping him with pillows. She then looked into his eyes and smiled when he blinked a couple times, focusing on her. "Did you sleep well?" she asked him.

Zack gave a slight nod in response and Kayleigh felt giddy with excitement. His improvement was speeding along at such a rate that it was unbelievable. He was more aware of the world around him and responsive to it now than he'd been a week ago.

She waited as Zack slowly brought his hand up to touch her cheek once again. His smile grew when his hand remained firmly in place with the barest of trembles. He then slowly stroked her cheek with his fingertips before lowering his hand.

"You're getting better, Zack," she told him with a smile. She then had a thought and, taking his hand in hers, she asked, "Zack, do you remember me telling you my name? Do you remember who I am?"

Zack stared at her, a frown on his face, brows furrowed in concentration. Kayleigh sighed and looked down at their hands. "It's okay if you don't," she said softly. "Guess it's still to early for-" She blinked when Zack gave a sharp tug of her hand, making a noise in his throat as he did. Kayleigh looked back up at him as he stared at her, his lips parting.

"Aaai..." he worked out, scowling at himself before forcing more sounds out of his throat. "Aaaa... aaaii..."

"Zack, don't force yourself," Kayleigh said, squeezing his hand gently. "It might not be good for you."

Zack shook his head, slowly but stubbornly, and tried again. "Aaay... K...aa... Kaaayyy... Kaaaayyy... Kay-Kaayy... Kay-Kay!" he finally got out, a smile of triumph on his face.

Kayleigh could feel tears well in her eyes. Not only did he recall her telling him her name, but he remembered _her_, from long before. The nickname was proof enough. "Zack..." she whispered.

"K-Kay-Kay?" he asked, tilting his head slightly, confusion showing through the fog that was still clouding his eyes.

"Yes, it's me," she replied, squeezing his hand. "You do remember... Can you remember anything else? Do you remember anything else?"

He frowned again and after a moment disappointment clouded over his handsome features as he shook his head.

"That's okay," she told him. "The memories will come back in time. We just have to focus on you getting better."

* * *

"_Hey! Kay-Kaaaay!"_

_A young strawberry-blonde, thirteen year old girl turned around at the sound of the voice. The waves of the ocean water washed up the shore a few feet in front of her, the sun setting on the horizon, a red-orange ball in a yellow and deep blue-violet sky. She smiled as she saw her best friend come bounding down the beach towards her, spiky black hair bouncing with each step. The fourteen year old tried to stop, but the sand of the beach shifted under his feet and he let out a yelp as he toppled to the ground. The girl couldn't help but laugh, despite her saddened mood._

"_Aww! Give it a rest, Kayleigh," the boy grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet, shaking sand out of his spikes._

"_You really need to slow down, Zack," Kayleigh told him. Her mirth then left her face as the sadness once again took over. "I won't always be here to help you back up when you fall."_

"_Huh? What are you talking about?" Zack asked. He saw the look on the girl's face and he took both of the girl's hands in his own, turning his body so he stood in front of her. "Hey," he said softly, "what's going on, Kay-Kay? What did you mean by that? We're best friends, we'll always be toget-"_

"_I'm not going back to Gongaga with you, Zack," Kayleigh said, cutting him off. "I don't even know when I'll ever be able to see you again. Paulene and me have to go elsewhere. Somewhere where they can help me understand and learn how to use my power."_

"_Where...?" Zack asked softly, his blue-violet eyes slowly filling with pain._

"_I don't know... somewhere safe, where they can protect me..."_

"_I'll protect you!" Zack cried, tears building up in his eyes. "I won't let anyone hurt you! Just please, don't disappear!"_

_Kayleigh couldn't hold it back any longer and, with a broken sob, she threw herself into Zack's arms. "I know!" she sobbed into his chest. "I know you would. But I have no choice."_

_Zack held her tightly, tears falling from his own eyes. "When... when do you leave?"_

"_The train to Wutai leaves from here tomorrow," Kayleigh whispered. "From there... I don't know, but a guide will meet us there and take us where we need to go."_

"_It's not fair..." Zack moaned. "I don't want to lose you." He pulled away and looked down into her tear-washed hazel eyes. "When I become SOLDIER, I'll find you. Even if it takes me a lifetime, I'll come look for you."_

_Kayleigh smiled up at him and said, "I'll always be with you, no matter what. Right here..." she placed her hand over his heart, "we'll always be together."_

_Zack nodded before pulling her back into his embrace. He pressed his lips to her forehead for a gentle kiss before pressing his cheek to the top of her head. They stood like that, enjoying their last moments together, just basking in each other's presence, as the sun slowly sunk below the horizon._

_The next day, Kayleigh was standing at the station, looking around for Zack but seeing no sign of him, not knowing that he was currently running with all he had towards the station after accidentally sleeping in later than he wanted._

"_Kay, we have to go," Paulene said softly as the train whistled shrilly._

_Kayleigh nodded and she whispered, "Bye, Zack," to the air before turning to board the train._

_Zack got to her train just as the doors were closing. He ran alongside the train, spotting her a few windows down ahead of him. "Kayleigh!" he cried._

_Kayleigh heard Zack's voice and immediately jumped up from her seat and tugged the window down. "Zack!" she exclaimed as the boy came towards her. She reached out to him as he stopped at her window and he grabbed her hand just as the train began to move._

"_Kayleigh!" he said loudly over the sound of the train. "Remember what you said before? I'm always with you too!" He began to run again alongside the slowly moving train so he could hold her hand for a few moments longer. "I will come find you! I promise!"_

_Tears fell from Kayleigh's eyes as she gave one last squeeze to his hand. "I know you will!" she replied, before the train became too fast and her grip slipped from Zack's._

_Zack stumbled to a stop and he could do nothing but watch as the train took Kayleigh away. He didn't try to stop the tears that fell from his eyes and he didn't care who saw him._

_**I swore... that I would find you... I tried... but it was as if you disappeared off the face of the planet...**_

_**It was like you had never existed...**_

_**

* * *

**_Kayleigh's fingers brushed the yellowed keys of the old piano, a soft smile on her face. The piano had been left in the abandoned house that she and Paulene found and moved into. With a great deal of cleaning and some minor fix-ups, the piano was almost good as new. At least, the sound came out clear and beautiful, especially when Kayleigh began to play. She had taken lessons while she was young and after five years in hiding, she had come up with some of her own tunes.

She sat down on the bench and her fingers began to move along the keys as a soft melody flowed from the old piano. It was a soft and steady rhythm, picking up in a few place, especially towards the end, but other than that it stayed soft.

"That's my favorite one," Paulene said from the kitchen doorway.

Kayleigh stopped playing and looked back at the older woman. "I finally finished it," she told her. "Took me a while, but I did."

Paulene nodded and said, "I loved it from the beginning. You come up with another one yet?"

"Start of one," the younger woman replied, turning back to the piano and playing a few notes. "Don't know where this one is going yet though..."

Her hands slammed down hard on the keys, emitting a loud _**dong**_, as she started, along with Paulene, from a loud and sudden screaming coming from the back of the house. "Zack!" Kayleigh gasped before flying from her seat and running towards the bedroom, Paulene right behind her.

Halfway down the hall, Kayleigh suddenly stumbled and fell against the wall, leaning against it heavily, as the world around her changed:

_She was lying on a cold metal table, stripped from the waist up. A face came to view and she felt her teeth bare at the sight of Hojo. The white light that filled the room glinted off the mad scientist's glasses and made his greasy long, pulled back hair gleam in a sickening way. She struggled against the bonds that held her down._

"_Let's run this next test, shall we?" Hojo said with a evil smile. "I promise you, this may hurt quite a bit."_

"_Please..." she begged... no, the voice that came through her lips wasn't hers, but Zack's! "Please stop..."_

"_Silence!" Hojo snapped. He then walked away and then said, "Begin."_

_Zack was surrounded by three other scientists as they stuck him unceremoniously with IV needles. He began to pant as he followed one of the IV tubes with his eyes to the machine and tank that it was hooked to. The tank was filled with green mako that was swirled with an evil purple substance. His heart began to beat faster when he watched that same substance slowly begin to make its way through the tubing and into him. As soon as the first bit began to flow through his body, he was racked with blinding pain that stripped him of his vision, causing his to see nothing but a blinding white that didn't fade when he squeezed his eyes shut._

_He began to thrash on the table, trying to escape the pain but unable because of the bonds that held him down. He couldn't stop the screams that erupted from his already torn throat as he began to burn from the inside... why wouldn't they let him die..._

_He wanted nothing more than to die..._

_But the fates continued to be cruel and just let him burn..._

"Kayleigh!"

The young woman gasped, Paulene's voice bringing her back from Zack's nightmare. Her eyes were glowing brightly as she looked at the older woman, her body coated with a thin sheen of sweat. "Paulene..." she whispered weakly.

"Are you okay?" Paulene asked, her face pale. "What just happened?"

"Yeah... I was just pulled into Zack's nightmare..." She pushed off the wall and continued down the hallway towards hers and Zack's bedroom. She couldn't explain what had just happened, but she didn't have time to think of it right now. Zack needed her...

When she got to the room she found the young man's head thrashing back and forth on the pillow, his knuckles bone-white as he gripped the blankets tightly. His eyes were closed in sleep, indicating that he was still in the deep throes of the nightmare Kayleigh has just gotten a glimpse of. Kayleigh rushed to his side and began shaking his shoulders. "Zack, wake up! Zack!"

Zack's eyes flew open and Kayleigh gasped on how clear and focused they were...

And how they glowed a bright green from the mako.

"Zack... Zack, look at me," Kayleigh said softly. Zack's eyes moved over to her, still glowing brightly. "You're okay, you're safe. It was a nightmare." She stroked the side of his face gently to soothe him. "You're safe now. It's over." _In more ways than one._

"K-Kay-Kay?" Zack whispered hoarsely, the glow ebbing away from his eyes.

"Yes, it's me," she told him. "I'm right here."

Zack continued to stare at her as his panting slowed and the glow in his eyes faded out. But his eyes remained clear and that was when Kayleigh knew that he was now finally awake after four years. Somehow, the nightmare, no _the memory_, dragged him back fully into reality. His eyes left hers for a few moments and began to roam around wildly, taking in his surroundings. His breathing began picking up again as it dawned on him that he was in a place unfamiliar to him and he had no idea how much time had passed.

_What is it like, _Kayleigh thought, _to wake up in a world that's not the same as you remembered it...?_

"Zack," Kayleigh said, drawing his eyes back to hers. She could see nothing but wild fear in them. _Oh Zack, what did they do to you?_ "Zack, it'll be okay. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

He swallowed slightly and nodded. Then he curled his body towards her, burying his face into her lap, one hand gripping the material of her skirt as if it was his lifeline. His shoulders jerked and shook from broken sobs and she could feel the material of her skirt dampen from his tears. Kayleigh stroked his hair gently and looked up at Paulene, who stood in the doorway in shock.

"He's awake..." the older woman said softly.

Kayleigh couldn't do anything but nod.

* * *

**AN: So, what do you think so far? Zack's finally awake, but it doesn't mean things will be easier for him. *slaps self before she reveals anything* So yeah, review please, they keep me going! I will update as soon as I can.**


	4. Chapter Three

**AN: I'm soooooo sorry for the long delay. The past few months have been hectic. My grandmother just passed away last week, and the last couple months were very tough on her so I was with almost every other day. So yeah... couple/few chappies for you guys since you all were so paticient with me :)**

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**Chapter Three**

"No," Zack said firmly, his jaw set stubbornly as he focused on the task in front of him.

"Zack, let me help you, it's alright," Kayleigh said softly, reaching out only to have her hand pushed away again.

"No," the young man repeated, his eyes flashing up to meet hers briefly and she could see the pure determination burning in those mako-tinted, blue-violet pools.

She sighed wearily in defeat and sat back. "Alright..." she said, "but if you do need it, you promise to let me help you?" She watched as Zack's lips pressed into a thin line and she could see a small flicker of denial for the request. "Zack..." she said sternly.

Finally, Zack let out a sigh and nodded. "P-p-promise," he stuttered out.

Kayleigh nodded and smiled as she relaxed in her chair, allowing Zack to try the task at hand on his own, which was feeding himself.

It had been over a week since Zack woke up fully and his progress had slowed a bit from its accelerated pace while he had still been in a comatose-like state. He was still working on his speech and controlling his body. It took a week for him to be able to sit up straight on his own without support and hold his own center of gravity. When he finally managed to accomplish that, Paulene had come back from selling their products in Edge with a few supplies and a wheelchair. The chair wasn't new and looked a little worn, but it would serve its purpose in getting Zack around the one story house. Paulene said that when he became much more mobile, then they would consider about getting him a newer chair. But the quality of the chair didn't bother Zack in the least because he was too excited and eager about being able to get out of that room. He actually let out a whoop when the older woman brought in the chair that was so much like the old Zack that the two woman burst into laughter. Now every morning Kayleigh would get Zack dressed and lift him into the chair with a quick stand-and-pivot maneuver: his arms around her neck, hers around his waist, her mako-enhanced strength making it easy to do.

When it came to his speech, so far he could only get out one syllable words without stuttering and only two or three words at a time. When he tried to talk in longer sentences than that, his tongue would get all tied up and his words would slur together. When he had trouble finding a word, he would become frustrated with himself until Kayleigh would tell him that it was alright and help him find the word.

His memory though was touch and go. He remembered a good portion of their childhood together and although he remembered his parents, he couldn't remember how they looked. He got flashes of his time as a cadet in Shinra and being a SOLDIER, and remembered even less past him becoming 2nd Class. He couldn't remember his mentor's name or how he looked, but for some reason, he remembered Cloud, but only that they were best friends. Sometimes Zack would see something that would trigger and bring back a memory, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and it could be any random thing. One time when Kayleigh came back from Edge and plopped a cowgirl hat she bought on Paulene's head as a joke, Zack's eyes had widened and he mumbled "Nibelhiem..." before tears began to fall from his eyes. He recalled what happened to Cloud's hometown, but not why or how it happened, or what came after it. He remembered him and Cloud getting hurt, Cloud's childhood friend also hurt, and saw flashes of a man with long silver hair holding a long sword surrounded by fire. Kayleigh told Zack that that man was Sephiroth and that he was the reason why Nibelhiem had burned. She didn't reveal anything else to him, knowing that he had to remember it on his own. She believed that the nightmares he had sometimes were memories as well, bad memories, but as soon as he woke up, he'd forgotten them.

As Kayleigh watched Zack focus on willing his fingers to close around the handle of the spoon, she couldn't help but think that despite it all, it was still the same old Zack. That determination in his eyes was proof enough.

She bit her lower lip as she watched Zack close his fingers around the spoon and he started to lift his hand up to bring the food to his mouth. He got it up only a couple inches before it dropped from his grasp back onto the plate. "No!" Zack yelled, slapping his hand on the table. He tried again, but with the same results. Kayleigh watched painfully as he became more and more frustrated and lost more and more of his concentration. By the time he couldn't even get a grip on the spoon anymore, his eyes were brimmed over with unshed tears of frustration and humiliation. He slumped back into his chair and she could see on his face that he was forcing those tears back.

Kayleigh reached over and picked up the spoon and lifted it to Zack's lips. He stared at her, lips pressed shut and Kayleigh sighed, "I'm sorry Zack, we'll keep trying. But you need to eat, to build up your strength."

Zack didn't respond but he opened his mouth so Kayleigh could put the food in and she felt her heart tighten as a single tear escaped from Zack's eye. They sat in silence as Kayleigh helped Zack with his meal. When he was finished, she stood up and took his dishes to the sink as Zack sat at the table and stared off towards the opposite direction.

"F-feel... w-w-weak," he murmured, breaking the thick silence.

Kayleigh turned around to look at him, asking, "What did you say?"

Zack looked at her, his eyes full of hurt, self-loathing, anger and suffering. "Me... I... f-feel... w-weak," he spit out and this time he couldn't hold back the tears anymore as they slid down his cheeks silently.

Kayleigh went over to him and, turning his chair so he faced her, she knelt down in front of him. "You're not weak Zack," she told him gently. "You're just sick and you are going to get better. It's just going to take some time, so please, don't give up. I'm here, and so is Paulene, and we're going to help you. You're not alone in this, Zack. Remember that, okay?"

Zack nodded and Kayleigh brushed her thumb against his tear-streaked cheek. He reached up and held her hand to his face. "H-hard for y-y-you?" he asked.

Kayleigh nodded and said, "You're my best friend, maybe more than that, and it hurts when you hurt. But I'll not let that push me away. I'll be with you for as long as you want me."

Zack smiled softly through his tears and he squeezed her hand. "F-forever?" he asked her.

"And then some," she replied.

Zack nodded and, with a sigh, he closed his eyes, leaning into Kayleigh's comforting touch. They stayed like that for Kayleigh didn't know how long until the front door opened and Paulene walked in, carrying a bundle of white and yellow flowers.

The older woman gave the two of them a grin and said, "Hey you two, none of that." She then saw Zack's tear-streaked face and her smile turned into a worried frown. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything as good as it can be," Kayleigh said, standing up, her hand still in Zack's. She watched as Paulene walked to the sink with the flowers and asked, "Where did you get those?"

"At that old church," Paulene said, getting a vase from the cupboard, one that Kayleigh had made. "I'm telling you, those flowers are growing around that pool now. Someone has pulled back the floorboards so they can have more room to grow. The flower girl really left her gift behind there."

Kayleigh nodded with a small smile. She then felt Zack's grip on her hand tighten and she looked down at him. "What's wrong, Zack?" she asked.

Zack was staring hard at the flowers, his eyes widening slightly. "A-a-a..." he mumbled, following with a growl of frustration. "A-Aerith..." He then grinned and, tugging Kayleigh's hand, he pointed at the flowers. "Aerith," he repeated.

"Yeah," Paulene said, nodding, "that was the girl's name... wait, you knew her?"

Zack nodded, his grin still on his face. "Y-yeah," he replied.

"You remember her?"

"L-little... f-few mem-mem-" The young man snarled as his stuttering worsened with his excitement.

"Memories," Kayleigh finished for him.

"Yeah... church... f-flowers..." Zack looked up at Kayleigh, his bright eyes puppy-dog like as they locked onto hers. "G-go?"

"You want to go to the church?" Kayleigh asked, her eyes widening in astonishment. Ever since Zack had been getting around in the wheelchair, whenever she mentioned sitting outside for a bit, he flatly refused. Now, with the sight of those flowers, he wanted to go out _and_ travel away from the house.

Zack nodded and continued to give her puppy eyes. _Why, of all the things he could remember, did he remember that damned look... and know that he will get his way with it...?_ The young woman sighed and shook her head. "You always seem to get your way with me, Zack," she replied. "But, on the first sign of trouble, we go home, understood? It may have been years, but there are still people out there who may be a danger to us."

The dark haired man nodded, his grin almost splitting his face in two.

* * *

"_Hell-lloo... Hooray!"_

_Zack groaned as he opened his eyes, looking up at a very pretty girl with long brown hair tied in a braid and green eyes. "...Heaven?" he asked._

"_Not quite," the girl said as he slowly sat up. "Church in the slums."_

_He looked up at her and asked, "An Angel...?"_

_The girl smiled and shook her head. "No," she said, "I'm Aerith." She then turned and pointed towards the falling-apart ceiling. "You fell from the sky."_

"_Huh?"_

_She turned back to look at him and said, "Scared me."_

"_So, you saved me, huh?"_

"_Not really..." she said, then demonstrated her calling down to him. "'Hell-lloo!' That's all I did."_

_Zack laughed loudly as Aerith giggled. He then laid back down only to flip himself up into a squat and then stood. "Thank you so much Aerith," he said, turning to her. "I'm Zack..."_

_

* * *

_Kayleigh pushed open the heavy door before pushing Zack's wheelchair over the threshold. The two of them slowly made their way down the aisle, Zack's head moving left and right as he looked around. Kayleigh looked up to the ceiling where sunlight streamed through the gaping holes, reflecting off the surface of the water. She stopped at the pool's edge, looking at the flowers that grew along the sides and the far-side of the water. Also, standing erect on the far-side of the pool, surrounded by flowers, was a large sword, its metal surface gleaming in the sunlight.

"B-Buster Sword..." Zack said softly, his eyes on the mighty blade as well.

Kayleigh nodded and said, "That was your sword..."

"Y-yeah... I r-remember..." he replied, nodding. He looked up at her and asked, "Get d-down?" while pointing to himself and then at the floor.

Kayleigh nodded and backed the chair up a bit before locking it into place. She then got alongside Zack and, draping one of his arms over her shoulders and wrapping one of her arms around his waist, she lifted him out of the chair and eased him onto the floor. She then took both of their boots off and dipped their feet into the water.

Zack sighed and, his hands resting on his lap, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Kayleigh watched him and smiled. "You like it here, don't you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied. He then opened his eyes and looked at her. "W-where is s-she?" he asked.

Kayleigh bit her lip and looked away. She'd been afraid that he was going to ask that. But ever since he woke up, she promised him that she would be truthful to anything he asked...

No matter how much the truth may hurt...

"She... she died, Zack," Kayleigh told him, not looking back at him. "Before Meteor Fall... She died while trying to summon Holy to destroy the meteor."

Zack was silent beside her and when Kayleigh looked over, she felt something twist her heart when she saw the tears and pain on his face. _She meant something to him... as more than just a friend..._ It hurt knowing that Kayleigh had pretty much been replaced by the flower girl in Zack's heart.

"H-how?" he choked out.

"Sephiroth killed her..."

The two of them stayed silent for a while, Kayleigh not speaking while Zack mourned. _Had_ Zack replaced her in his heart with Aerith? Did he give up his search for her, thinking that he was probably never going to see her again, or did he just forget his promise to her?

"_I'll come find you! I promise!"_

It had only been a promise between children, she figured, and that things changed when you grew up. But her and Zack... they'd been together since they were toddlers. There had always been a bond between them. At least... she always thought so...

"I... f-feel her..." Zack said, breaking the silence.

"W-what?" Kayleigh asked, shaking herself from her thoughts.

"I f-feel her," he repeated, placing a hand over his heart. "H-here... I c-can feel her..."

Kayleigh bit the inside of her cheek hard, tasting blood as she did so. "Yeah..." she replied, unable to keep out the slight bitterness in her tone. "That's because a piece of her was left here when she died. Her power lives on in here..."

Zack turned his head to look at her and she knew that he heard the bitterness in her voice. "Kay-Kay?" he asked, with a frown.

"We should get going," she said, ignoring Zack's unspoken question. "It'll be dark soon." She helped Zack get back into his chair and the two of them made their way out of the church.

Behind them, Kayleigh didn't hear the soft voice that drifted through the air. _"He never forgot you... not even when he was with me..."_


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Paulene sat at the table in the kitchen, a cup of tea beside a worn out photo album that sat in front of her. It was late out, the only light coming from the oil lamp that hung overhead. The dull throbbing was finally starting to leave her head so she was hoping that she'll be able to head to bed and get some sleep in another hour.

She carefully turned the pages, looking at the old photos she'd already looked at a countless number of times. There were shots of Kayleigh and her parents when she was just a baby; ones of two toddlers, a girl with bright strawberry-blonde hair and a boy with a shock of jet-black hair; school pictures, birthday pictures... it just went on. Looking back, if anyone would have told her what those two children would end up going through and become, Paulene probably would have told them that they were insane. Things had been normal back then...

"Paulene?"

The older woman was jolted back to the present by the soft voice. She looked up to see Zack slowly wheeling himself into the kitchen, his eyes glowing slightly in the darkness. "Zack," she said softly, "why are you up?"

"Nightmares..." he replied, coming up to the table. For the past couple weeks, Zack had been able to wheel himself around on his own and get himself from his bed to his chair, and vice versa, by using his upper body strength, seeing as for some reason his legs still weren't working. Also his speech was back to normal, the stuttering practically gone. But when it came to his past, it was still riddled with holes.

"Yeah...? Anything you remember?"

"Some... kind of confusing..." Zack sighed and ran a hand through his too-long hair. He looked at her and asked, "Why are y-you up?"

"Headache... but it's going away now," she said, seeing the worry begin to appear on his face. "You want some tea? Water is still warm."

When Zack nodded, Paulene stood up and went over to the wood stove where a kettle sat, still steaming slightly. She put a teabag in a chipped mug and poured the hot water in. She took the steaming mug back over to Zack, who had pulled the photo album over to look at. She set the cup beside him, getting a softly spoken "thank you" from him, before setting down again.

Zack picked up the mug with a steady hand and took a sip. "I like this one," he said, taking the mug away from his lips and pointing to a picture with his other hand.

Paulene leaned over to look. It was a picture of Kayleigh and Zack at Costa de Sol, taken just a few days before Paulene got word from the Elders to take Kayleigh to them in their secret hideout in the mountains past Wutai. Kayleigh was on Zack's back, who was standing waist-deep in the water. Her arms were wrapped loosely over his shoulders while he held onto her legs behind the knees close to his hips. Both were laughing, their hair and skin damp and glistening from the warm sun.

"Yeah," Paulene said. "That is a good one of the two of you."

Zack nodded and turned the page. He froze at what he saw on the next page and Paulene sat back and closed her eyes.

It was Zack's obituary that his parents had put out when Shinra declared him "Killed in Action" during the Nibelhiem incident. Kayleigh had cried for weeks and was still heartbroken for the months to come, so when Shinra goons found them, her heartache diminished her power, enabling her to get captured.

"This... isn't right..." Zack said softly. "This said I died four years before you and Kayleigh f-found me..."

Paulene nodded and said, "You didn't die then, Zack. That was just Shinra's lies to cover up what was actually happening to you."

"What..."

"Those nightmares you've been having... they have something to do with it..."

"Paulene, please tell me," he begged. "What happened to me?"

"I can't Zack. This is something you have to remember on your own."

"At least prepare me for what I'm going to remember!" he exclaimed, his voice getting louder.

Paulene sighed painfully and whispered, "Nothing can prepare you for remembering what happened to you..."

Zack shoved away from the table, anger causing his eyes to burn with a faint green glow. "I hate this!" he snarled. "I hate how you and Kayleigh have been lying to me!"

"We're not lying to you, Zack," Paulene said, standing slowly. "We're just-"

"Keeping things from me! That's just as bad!" he yelled. "It's bad enough that I'm stuck to this damned chair, but having holes in my head is unbearable! And when the people who could help fill in those holes refuse to help, I just... I just... Sometimes I wish I just died on that cliff! I would have been a lot better off than living like this! This is all your fault, because you just _had_ to save me! Why couldn't you just let me die?!"

Pain exploded in Paulene's head and she gripped the table for support. The anger and hate quickly left Zack's eyes, replaced by fear. "P-Paulene?" he gasped, moving towards her.

"Don't... please, Zack, just stay away..." Paulene moaned as she gripped her throbbing head, her eyes glowing brightly as the mako inside her burned through her veins. Her legs couldn't support her anymore and they gave away. But instead of hitting the floor hard, someone caught her and eased her down. "Kay...?"

"It's me," Kayleigh said softly, holding her gently. "I'm here..." Then Kayleigh whipped her head around to glare at Zack, eyes glowing brightly. "What did you do?" she snarled and Paulene could feel a wolf's angry growl rumble in the younger girl's chest.

"I... I... I didn't mean..." Zack stammered.

"How dare you," Kayleigh hissed, the growl coming out and around the words. "How dare you even say those things to her..."

"I... I'm sorry... Paulene, I'm sorry..."

"Zack... not now..." Paulene whispered and the last thing she remembered before blacking out was Zack spinning his chair around and heading towards the front door.

* * *

Zack couldn't remember making his way towards the old church. The next thing he knew, he was sitting in front of the doors and his arms ached. He wheeled himself inside the dark building, down the aisle and to the edge of the water. He stopped and just sat there, staring at his sword in front of him that glowed slightly in the moonlight.

"_Embrace your dreams..._" he whispered softly. "_If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams... and honor..._" He then snorted softly and whispered, "Some honor I have... I can't even remember who told me that..." His eyes began to burn as he cried, "Hell, I don't even know what that _means_ anymore!" He covered his face with his hands as he began to sob uncontrollably.

"I didn't mean it," he said through his sobs. "I didn't mean what I said. I'm just so lost and confused and I took it out on her. I'm so sorry!" he continued to weep and Zack felt a warm presence surround him and he thought he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders from behind. "Aerith..." he moaned, "why can't you be here? Why did you have to leave me too... I can't live like this... I'm just a shell of what I once was. I'm useless now to everyone, a burden... maybe I should have died on those cliffs..." Zack pulled his hands away from his face and stared at the still water. "Maybe it'll be better for everyone if I just disappeared..."

"_Zack... no..."_ a soft gentle voice seemed to whisper all around him.

"I'm sorry, Aerith... but I can't..." he whispered. He reached down and removed the leg rests from the chair and then inched the chair closer till his feet hung in the water. He locked the chair in place and gripped the arms tightly, flexing his arm muscles. "I'm sorry..." he said before shoving off the chair and throwing himself into the water.

What little light that had been in the church disappeared. He was now in total darkness as he sunk towards the bottom. He hadn't really taken a breath before throwing himself in and his lungs were still weak from being comatose for four years, so it didn't come as a surprise when they began burn so soon from lack of oxygen. _At least it will be quick,_ he thought to himself. _Kayleigh and Paulene... they don't have to worry about me anymore... and I won't hurt them anymore... At least the pain will finally go away..._

"_Oh Zack... please... don't think like that..."_

_I can't help it... I'm no good for anyone..._

"_No! Fight it back, Zack! Live!"_

_I can't, I'm sorry... I failed everyone... you, Cloud, Angeal... I let you all down..._

Zack could feel himself slipping away and felt Aerith's presence disappear as well. He closed his eyes as the world around him began to fade to black...

He felt something tug the back of his shirt, something graze the skin of his back as it caught hold of him and began to pull him up. Next thing he knew, he was back on solid ground, his lungs taking in needed oxygen as he coughed up water onto the old wooden floor. "W-what?" he gasped. He started to push himself up but he was roughly rolled over onto his back and something was pressed against his chest, holding him down.

He looked up into the angry eyes of a large wolf. It was one of its front paws that held him down, which was about as wide as his chest. The wolf's jaws parted, revealing its sharp fangs, as a voice echoed loudly in his mind. _:What the hell do you think you're doing!?:_

Zack recognized the voice and, looking at the wolf's eyes, he recognized those blue pools as well. "Kayleigh?" he whispered softly.

The paw on his chest pushed down a bit more, but not painfully so. _:Well?:_ she asked as a growl issued from her mouth.

Anger flooded into Zack and he tried to push the heavy paw off of him, but with no luck. "Why do you care!?" he yelled at her. "You both made it quite clear back there that you didn't want me around. And why should I tell you anything? You've obviously been keeping stuff from me!"

_:For you're own good!:_

"According to who!?" Zack screamed.

_:The girl that you replaced over me!: _Kayleigh roared.

Zack blinked, shock replacing the anger for a moment. "You... you think I replaced you with Aerith?" he whispered. The anger then returned full force as he shouted, "How could you even think that!?"

_:You loved her, more than you loved me. I saw it on your face the day I told you that she died. You barely remembered her, yet you mourned her as if she'd been your soul-mate.:_

"Yeah, I loved her, but she was my friend, more like a sister. I cared about her, and to hear that she was killed... how would you feel if Paulene was killed and you couldn't do anything about it?"

Kayleigh growled and said, _:We're off the subject at hand. What were you doing just now?:_

"Don't change the subject!"

_:I am! Why did you just try to kill yourself!?:_

:Because you would be better off if I'm gone!" Zack cried. "Obviously I've hurt you too much, and I'm no good to myself or anyone else. You should have just left me to die four years ago, or even now! That way I can't hurt you anymore!"

Kayleigh just stared at him and Zack thought that she was going to rip his face off with her fangs. Finally she lowered her face until it was just inches from his own and spoke, her voice low. _:Is that what you think? You think that you wouldn't hurt me anymore if you went and killed yourself? Zachary Fair, if I had been a few minutes later, you would have made me suffer through the worse pain imaginable. I care about you too much for me to just let you die, no matter how much you piss me off.:_

Zack looked at her and could see it in her eyes that what she said was true. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "For everything... for what I said to Paulene, what I've been doing to you..."

_:I know you are. You're just angry at the world for what it's put you through and you took it out on us. You'll probably end up doing it again because you're still trying to gain control of everything again and that includes your emotions. But don't ever think for a moment, _ever_, that we would rather have you gone.:_

Zack nodded and Kayleigh removed her paw from his chest. He reached up and, wrapping his arms around her neck, he pulled himself up to bury his face into her neck. He let loose the sobs that began to tighten up his chest and block his airway. Thinking back on what he almost did, on what he'd been thinking before he did it, scared him. "Help... me..." he choked out.

_:I will,: _Kayleigh promised. _:I won't let you go.:_ She nuzzled his back gently, growling softly in comfort. _:Come on, Zack. Let's get you home.:_ Using her muzzle, she gently lifted him up onto her back. He kept his arms around her neck and his face pressed to the side of it, continuing to weep as she took him home.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so maybe Zack was a _little_ OOC in this, but I think he has every right to, considering the situation he's in. Don't R&R yet, one more chappie for you all!**


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

When Zack woke up the next morning, he felt drained. He dimly remembered Kayleigh getting him tucked into bed, her wolf eyes bright with worry from his uncontrollable sobbing. He didn't blame her, because he too felt as if he would never stop. Eventually he did cry himself to sleep in the early hours of the morning.

He looked out the window and saw that it was about midday. Turning his head the other way, he saw his chair parked in its usual spot next to his bed. He remembered that they had left it behind at the church. _ She must had gone back to get it after I fell asleep, _he thought.

The house was silent and still and Zack wondered if the two woman were either still asleep or gone. With a grunt of effort, Zack sat himself up in bed and threw the blankets aside. He then lifted one of his legs with both hands to hang it over the edge of the bed, following with the other. Then he reached out and, grasping the arm on the far side of the chair and using his other hand to brace against the mattress, he heaved himself up and over into the chair. He remembered the many trial and errors he went through getting himself into the chair on his own, and the many times either Paulene or Kayleigh would find him on the floor and yelled at him afterwards.

After situating his legs so they rested comfortably on the leg rests, he unlocked the wheels of the chair and made his way to the front of the house. He found Kayleigh sitting at the table in the kitchen, her hair pulled back in a low ponytail, a few loose strands framing her face. As he got closer, he could see the dark circles under her eyes, indicating her lack of sleep.

She looked up at his approach and gave him a small smile. "Morning," she said softly.

"Morning," he replied, stopping at the table. "How's Paulene?"

"She's okay, for now," Kayleigh said. "The pain lessened enough so she could sleep. But she'll be down for another day or so. That was the worst attack she's had yet."

Zack felt guilty, knowing that he was part of the source of that attack. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be," she told him. "Paulene's illness has slowly been getting worse. It was only a matter of time."

"Can't you find her some help?" he asked. "There has to be someone who can help her."

"We've tried, but at this point the only ones who have the means to help her are the WRO, and I, _we_, can't risk exposing ourselves, even to them."

Zack nodded and said, "Yeah, I know..." He then frowned, remembering last night. "How long have you been able to shape-shift?"

"A little over five years..." Kayleigh whispered. When she didn't say anymore and Zack could see the pain on her face, he reached over and covered her hand with his.

"It's okay," he said. "You can tell me when you're ready."

Kayleigh looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."

He nodded and then something else struck his mind. "I... I remember who my mentor was..." he said in astonishment.

"Really? Who?"

"His name was Angeal... The Buster Sword was his once... I know he died, but I can't remember how..." He shook his head and sighed. "The memories are all blurry and jumbled... but, at least they're there, I guess..."

Kayleigh smiled and said, "They'll clear up in time, don't worry."

But Zack kept racking his brain, trying to make sense of all the blurred images. "Man, oh man..." he grumbled, rubbing his temples with both hands. "This is giving me a headache..."

"Stop trying so hard," Kayleigh said with a smile, "or your head is going to pop."

"Yeah," Zack said with a smirk, "at this rate, it probably will."

* * *

_The hand he held in his own felt much cooler than his, but it felt nice in Gongaga's heat. He continued to make his way through the thick woods that surrounded the mountain side until he reached his destination. "Here it is!" he exclaimed, giving a slight tug to the hand he held._

"_What are you talking about, Zack?" the girl behind him said. "There's nothing here except the mountain side and a bunch of big rocks."_

_Zack rolled his violet eyes and looked back at the seven year old girl behind him. "Well, duh Kay-Kay," he said. "That why it's called a _secret_ spot. You're not suppose to know it's there, unless someone shows you." He led her around one particularly large boulder and pushed back a tangle of vines and roots to reveal an opening, big enough for a grown man to walk though, in the side of the mountain. "See, told you... now come on! Wait till you see this place."_

_The two of them made their way through a narrow tunnel that soon opened up to a large cavern. Kayleigh's eyes widened at the sight before her. The entire cavern was lit by a greenish-blue glow, revealing the large waterfall that cascaded down the wall on the opposite side of them into a large pool. When she looked up, she could see large crystals hanging like fangs from the high ceiling, emitting the glow that lit the area._

"_Oh, wow! Zack, how did you find this place?" Kayleigh exclaimed._

"_Just kinda found it," the eight year old replied with a shrug._

"_Where does all the water go? And where is that light coming from?"_

"_I think there's an opening behind the waterfall, at the bottom of the pool, where all the water goes into the river. And I think that the light is created by the mako that's here. Come on..." He led Kayleigh down to the edge of the pool where the water was calm and they sat down, dangling their bared feet into the water. The two of them sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company in their secret place. _

_After a while, Kayleigh held her hands out and they began to glow with a cerulean-blue light. As Zack watched, a sphere of water the size of a baseball separated itself from the pool and came to hover between Kayleigh's palms. "I wish I could do that," Zack said._

"_Paulene says that I'm the only one who has this power... something about me being a 'Heavenly Guardian' or something. And it's so easy to do this too." As she spoke, the glow around her hands paled to a snow-white and the sphere of water turned into a sphere of ice that looked like crystal. She took the sphere in her hand and held it out to Zack. "But I don't mind," she said. "As long as I get to stay here with you, I don't care what they call me, or how I can do things that others can't. Besides, only you and Paulene know that I can do this, so to everyone else, I'm normal."_

_Zack took the ice sphere in his hands. It wasn't really cold like he expected, but pleasantly cool, just like Kayleigh's hand had been. "And I'll never tell anyone," he told her, "not even if they torture me to death."_

"_Right," Kayleigh said with a smile. "It'll be our secret, just like this place."_

_Zack jumped to his feet and stood as tall as his small and short frame would allow. "And when I become SOLDIER, I'll be your guardian and protect you from anyone who tries to hurt you."_

"_You'll be my hero," she replied, standing as well. She took a hold of the sphere as well and said, "You promise to be my guardian now and always, and come to me when I need you the most?"_

"_I promise," Zack said, nodding._

"_Then I promise to be there when you need me, and protect you in anyway that I can. We'll be there to protect each other."_

_With their promises, the two children didn't notice when the sphere they both held began to pulse with an unnoticeable light from within._

_That night, Zack took the sphere home and set it on his shelf. The next morning he wasn't hardly surprised that the sphere of ice still sat where he'd left it, faintly glowing with its own light.

* * *

_

"_We're friends... right?"_

"_Cloud! Run!"_

_He was floating in a tube of green; he was being injected a burning substance in several different places on his body; he was being cut open while still aware of his surroundings, still feeling the pain, but unable to move._

_He could hear the mad laughter of the man who was responsible for all his pain._

"_**Zack... it's time for you to remember..."**_

"Help me! Make it stop!"

"Zack! Zack, wake up!"

Zack's eyes flew open and he shot upright, nearly knocking Kayleigh over. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat, his breathing labored. He could still feel every needle, every cut, and that mad laughter still filled his head. "No... nooooo..." he moaned. "Why... why did you make me remember...?" He covered his face with his hands and shook his head from side to side, as if to shake the memories away from his mind. "Out of all of my lost memories, why that?"

"Zack, what's wrong?" Kayleigh asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Zack looked up at Kayleigh, unable to stop the tears from falling. "I remember... what happened when I supposedly died." he felt Kayleigh's hand on his shoulder tighten. "I remember the lab... all those experiments... Hojo... Hojo!" His hands tightened into fists as he snarled, "Where is he? Where is that bastard?!"

"Relax, Zack, he's dead," Kayleigh said softly. "He can't hurt us anymore..."

"'Us'?"

Kayleigh sighed softly and said, "For two of those years you were in Hojo's hands, I was too... both me and Paulene. It's because of him that Paulene's always sick and that I... that I..."

"Can shape-shift..." Zack whispered, realization dawning on him.

Kayleigh nodded slowly. "We were captured a year after you 'died', and we escaped a year before you did... I tried to take you with me, but I couldn't... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Zack said, shaking his head. "Me and Cloud were able to get out, for the life of me I can't believe how... I remember bits and pieces of us running from Shinra, and then... I remember telling Cloud to run, an ungodly amount of Shinra troops... 'Man, oh man, the price of freedom sure is steep'... huh, guess I was right... I remember being shot, feeling a hell of a lot of pain... but after that, nothing. Just darkness... except, I remember blue eyes... wolf's eyes..." He looked up at Kayleigh, who nodded.

"Yeah, we found you about an hour later. A few minutes more and we would have been too late."

Zack nodded and then his eyes widened. "Cloud! What happened to Cloud?!"

"He was gone when we got there... then he reappeared with a rebel team called AVALANCHE a month or so later."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that they were a sore on Shinra's ass... heh, way to go, Cloudy-boy..."

Kayleigh giggled softly and then reached over and took one of Zack's hands. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, his moment of mirth fading. "For a while, I wanted to remember what happened to me, but now that I do... I think I'd rather not remember at all..." He looked at Kayleigh and asked, "Do they get easier, those memories?"

"They do, but, when I watch Paulene suffer, they begin to burn again. They won't go away, but together," she squeezed his hand, "I think we can help them get easier, and be there to hold the other when they become painful again."

Zack smiled and then he leaned forward slightly, resting his head on Kayleigh's shoulder. He let out a soft sigh as the girl's arms wrapped around him and held him gently. "I'm sure glad I'm not alone in this," he said softly. He closed his eyes as Kayleigh began to run her fingers through his hair, the sound of her heartbeat and steady breathing the only sound in his head. He was half way asleep when a soft chuckle from the young woman brought him back. "What?" he asked, not moving from his current position.

"Your hair," she said. "It's too damn long. It doesn't even do it's spiky thing anymore."

Zack laughed softly as well, knowing that his hair was well past his shoulders, almost to his elbows, now. "Guess it needs to be cut, huh?"

"Most definitely. We'll have Paulene cut it when she's feeling better."

"Okie-dokie... sounds like a plan..." He yawned as his eyes began to droop, Kayleigh's gentle stroking through his hair bringing sleep upon him again. "Mmm... sleepy..." he mumbled.

"Get some sleep, Zack," Kayleigh said softly.

Zack only nodded and he managed to mumble out, "Stay with me?"

Before sleep pulled him under, he felt a gentle brush of lips against his forehead and Kayleigh's soft whisper, "I will... and I won't leave you... never again..."

* * *

**AN: Okay, I promise some happy stuff in the next chapter, where more of the puppy-Zack comes out. Other flashback of Kayleigh and Zack and yay Zack is starting to get his memories back. What will the next one be I wonder? hmmm.... nah! Guess you all have to find out cause i ain't telling. I'll update next week with at least two more chappies, I promise! Until then R&R, let me know if I'm going good or its turning into crap T-T**


	7. Chapter Six

**AN: Ok, so I promised a couple chappies... sorry, but hopefully this chappie will make up for that :D Oh and check out my profile. My avatar is based off this fanfic. Let me know if you like.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"Okay... I think I should be afraid... Ouch!"

"Quit complaining, or I'm not doing it..."

Zack rubbed the back of his head, looking up at the older woman who stood behind him with a pair of scissors. He was topless with a towel draped over his shoulders and his hair was damp. It had been five days since Paulene's mako poisoning attack and she was pretty much back to normal, except that her eyes looked more tired than before. When Zack had tried apologizing to her, the older woman just wacked him in the back of the head, like she just did, and told him that if he kept trying to apologize, she would hit him again.

"Kay-Kaaay," Zack whined, looking over to the girl sitting at the kitchen table. "Save meee..."

"Nuh-uh," the girl replied with a smirk. "I ain't that stupid. Paulene plus scissors equals death."

"Oh will you two knock it off," Paulene sighed as Zack burst out laughing. "I swear, sometimes I feel like I'm living with a couple teenagers."

"Well, technically... Ouch! Pauleeene!" Zack wailed, rubbing the spot where Paulene hit him again. "You're gonna give me brain damage!"

"Not when there's nothing there to begin with... and don't even try that with me," she replied when Zack gave her a pout. "Look, am I going to do this or not?"

"Yeah, yeah," Zack said, "just messing with you. Have at it." Zack then faced forward as the older woman began cutting his hair.

"Zack's gonna look sexy," Kayleigh said in a sing-song voice.

"What are you talking about? I'm already sexy."

"Glad to know that you think so..."

"Annnnnnd there goes my ego... thanks Paulene..."

"No problem."

Zack just sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't ask for a better second chance at life. Sure, he could be walking and have all his memories back, but he also knew he could have ended up in a much worse situation. He was grateful to have both woman, knowing that his memories and ability to walk would return in time. But, the fact that they were hiding, that he couldn't fully enjoy his life like he use to, dampened his thoughts slightly. Would he always have to look over his shoulder in fear, wondering if the person behind him was someone like Hojo who wanted nothing more to stick him in a tube, or if they were someone who still held a grudge against Shinra and would like nothing more than to stick a knife between his ribs, just because of what he'd been before, SOLDIER First Class Zachary Fair, lap-dog for Shinra? Would he ever be able to live like he wanted and not fear his past?

"How long are we going to be in hiding?" Zack asked softly, slowly opening his eyes.

Kayleigh looked at him and sighed. "I don't know, Zack," she told him. "It's so hard to trust anybody... you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do... but, what about Cloud or his friends?"

"I thought about it... even about going to the WRO, but, guess I'm just scared."

"You have no idea how many times we talked about this," Paulene added. "Especially when you were still comatose and we had no idea if you'd ever wake up on your own. We're just afraid of what Shinra would do if he heard that both you and Kayleigh are still alive."

Zack sighed wearily and said, "Feels like I'm out of the loop, having lost four years of my life."

"A lot has changed," Kayleigh said. "But you'll catch up, don't worry. It may seem like it, but four years isn't much."

"We won't be here forever," Paulene assured Zack. "I'll be damned if I die and you two are still stuck here."

"Paulene, you're gonna outlive me and Zack just out of spite..."

Zack laughed as Kayleigh's comment broke the tense atmosphere. He knew what Kayleigh meant by being afraid; he was too. He was afraid of facing the world after missing so much and, more than anything, facing Cloud. What would he even say to the blonde who had watched him "die" four years ago? _"Hey Spiky, how's it been? Oh yeah, I didn't die for years ago by the way." Yeah, that sounds like it would go over well..._

"All right, all done," Paulene said, running her fingers through his hair.

"Already? That didn't take long," Zack said. He ran his hands through his hair and asked, "How does it look?"

"See for yourself," Paulene said, handing him a small mirror.

When Zack looked at his reflection, it was like looking at the past. He looked just like he did four years ago. His hair was back to its layered spiked look that just brushed his shoulders with those few strands that hung over his right eye that refused to stay back. "Whoa..." he whispered. "Flash-back..."

"I can cut it shorter if you want..."

"No," Zack said, shaking his head. "It's good, thanks." He looked back at Paulene and smiled. "It's like I'm my old self again."

"Except that you're more annoying," Kayleigh said with a smirk.

"Hey!"

Paulene laughed as Zack threw the towel at Kayleigh. "Well, at least you look better, and not like some bum we took off the street."

Zack just rolled his eyes as he wheeled himself to the table where his shirt was laying. "Glad you think about me in such a way," he replied, his voice muffled as he pulled his shirt over his head.

Kayleigh smiled and reached over to run her fingers through his hair. "You do look a lot better," she told him. "I'm use to you with your hair much shorter, but I like this look on you."

"It was the first thing she noticed when they put an article in the paper about you after some big mission you completed," Paulene said as she swept up the cut hair.

Zack blinked as he looked at Kayleigh. "You kept tabs on me through the papers?"

"Anything that mentioned your name, she was all over it."

He smiled and grabbing the hand that was still running through his hair, he kissed her palm. "I'm sorry that I couldn't find you," he told her.

Kayleigh shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. We're together now."

There was a knock on the door, making them all start. Zack's grip on Kayleigh's hand tightened as Paulene walked to the door.

"Get Zack to the living room, where they won't see him," she said.

Kayleigh nodded and she stood up and wheeled Zack to the living room. She brought him to the piano and sat next to him on the bench. "Relax, Zack," she said, taking his hand again. "It'll be alright."

Zack didn't realize that he was breathing heavily until she spoke, so he focused on relaxing his breathing and thudding heart. After the conversation they just had, a whole bunch of ideas zoomed through his mind of who could be at that door.

They could hear Paulene talking lowly to whoever was at the door and then, finally, the door closing. Zack and Kayleigh looked at each other as they heard Paulene walk in. But what she had with her shocked the both of them.

"It came earlier than I expected, but that's fine by me."

Zack's eyes widened at the brand new wheelchair that Paulene pushed in front of her. Unlike the one he had now, this one had a padded seat and back and the metal shone brightly and wasn't spotted with rust. A grin split his face from ear to ear and he let out a wild whoop. "Alright, Paulene!" he exclaimed.

"How...?" Kayleigh asked as Zack made his way over.

"I've been saving ever since he woke up," Paulene told her. "The one he has now isn't in the greatest condition and since he'll probably be using a wheelchair for a while, I wanted to get him a nice one, and plus he deserves it... can you please help him before he ends up on the floor."

Kayleigh laughed and got up to help Zack into his new chair. The two of them watched as he tested it out around the living room. "It's so much easier to move this one around," he said, looking at the older woman. "Thanks Paulene, this means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, kid."

Kayleigh started to take the other chair towards the back of the house. "We'll keep this one," she said, "so he can use it when he goes out, so that one won't get ruined, especially if we go to Edge."

"Wait, what?" Zack asked, his eyes widening. "You plan on taking me into Edge?"

"Dressed so no one will recognize you, but yes. I want to show you the new city, help you adjust to the new world you're in now."

"Even though all of you're memories haven't returned yet," Paulene added, "we figured that you're aware, and adjusted to your situation, enough now to go out. But only for an hour. We can't take any risks."

"This is almost as good as Christmas," Zack said. "I've been itching to go farther than the church." The young man was practically bouncing in his seat, his eyes dancing in excitement, giving proof that the nickname "Puppy" really did suit him.

"Well, hold your chocobos, Soldier-Boy," Kayleigh said, laughing. "Give me a week, and then we'll go."

* * *

Kayleigh could sense Zack's nervousness as they entered Edge. The dark-haired man wore a gray hooded jacket, the hood pulled up to cover his signature spiked hair. There was nothing they could do about his violet eyes, so Kayleigh hoped that no one got close enough to recognize him. She had her own hair darkened with soot once again to hide the blue in her hair. To anyone at a quick glance, they just looked like a normal young couple, even though their tattered clothing stated that they were two of the few that still lived in the old Midgar slums.

"Relax, Zack," she told him, resting one hand on his shoulder while the other steered the wheelchair. "We'll be fine."

"I know... it's just... wow..." Zack looked around him, his eyes taking everything in. "Amazing how this place just rose from the ashes of Midgar."

"I know," Kayleigh agreed. "The WRO helped out a lot." They continued towards the center of Edge, the crowd around them growing bigger. She watched as Zack continued to taking it all in and watch people go about their daily lives. She heard him chuckle as a couple kids ran by laughing and couldn't stop the smile that formed on her lips. Zack was taking this well, it seemed. "How are you doing?" she asked him.

He looked back at her and smiled. "If I didn't know it, I would think that no time went by. Although..." His smile faded as he looked up at an unfinished building, following it down to where they could see two children huddled together in the alley against the building. "Even I can see the scars that Shinra left behind... and I wasn't even here when it all happened."

"Things are getting better though... slowly, but getting better," Kayleigh said. "Pretty soon, we won't have to hide anymore."

They reached the monument and Zack looked at the plaque that was at the base. "_Keep on Rockin' in Midgar_," he read. "Huh, sounds like something Reno would say-" Suddenly, Zack groaned loudly as he clutched his head with both hands.

"Zack, what's wrong?" Kayleigh gasped, kneeling next to him.

"Mem-memories... I think..." he whispered painfully. He opened his eyes to look at her and she could see them glowing slightly. "They never come back while I'm awake... it... it kinda hurts."

Kayleigh gripped Zack's arm and said, "Come on, let's get-" She was cut off when she was suddenly knocked to the ground.

"Kayleigh!" Zack yelled as she pushed herself up to her hands and knees and looked over her shoulder. She glared daggers at the same men who had harassed her so many weeks ago.

"Thought we told you to go back to the hole you came from," the leader said with a sneer. "Guess I wasn't clear."

"Leave her alone!" Zack yelled, wheeling himself forward towards the men.

"And look what else you brought," one of the others jeered. "A cripple!"

Zack snarled as he glared at him. "Don't call me that!"

"What are you going to do? Run me over?" The men started laughing as one went behind Zack and, grabbing the back of his chair, flipped him out of it.

"Zack!" Kayleigh cried as he hit the ground. The guy who still held the chair laughed and hurled it a few feet away. Kayleigh watched as the chair busted on impact to the ground.

Zack moaned as he pushed himself up, leaning on his elbows with his forearms pressed against the ground. His hood had fallen back and mud caked a bit of his hair. Kayleigh went over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She glared at the men as they surrounded them, feeling a growl start to form in her chest and her body quivered as it willed to change and put the fear of the Gods in these men.

"I suggest you leave this area immediately," a stern, commanding voice said.

Kayleigh looked up, eyes widening as she watched two men walk towards them. One had dark hair with a short beard and mustache, wearing a long blue coat: Reeve Tuesti, Commissioner of the WRO. The other was Cloud, the blonde warrior gripping the hilt of his sword that was strapped to his back.

"I thought I told you punks to beat it last time," Cloud said, anger making his blue eyes glow dimly. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear, so I'll say it again, and it better be the last time I do: _beat it_!"

The men took one look at Cloud's sword and they were practically falling over each other to get away.

"C-Cloud...?" Zack whispered, looking up at the blonde through his hair that fell over his face, shielding it from view.

"I'll have my men keep an eye out for those boys," Reeve said. He then turned to Kayleigh and Zack. "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine," Kayleigh said, trying to hold back her tears of frustration. She eased Zack onto her back, using her enhanced strength to lift up the bigger man as she stood. She held onto his legs as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She staggered for a second before gaining her balance. She could feel the people staring at them, making her want to scream. But she had to get Zack out of there.

"Well, let me at least get the two of you transport-"

"I said we're fine!" Kayleigh snapped, looking up at the two men. Her breath caught when she saw Cloud's face; the blonde's eyes wide with shock and disbelief as he looked not at her but at Zack, who was staring right back.

"Z-Zack?" the blonde choked out.

Zack didn't respond, but instead buried his face into Kayleigh's neck. Kayleigh turned and began to walk off.

"Wait!" Cloud exclaimed, moving forward to stop her.

With a cry, Kayleigh shoved the blonde away, pushing at his chest with her hand before taking a hold of Zack again. She glared at the blonde as one tear escaped and trailed down her face. "Leave us alone," she whispered before she began to walk away.

By the time the two men got over their shock, Kayleigh and Zack were gone.

* * *

**AN: Hehehe, cliffie.... see you all next week! *runs***


	8. Chapter Seven

**AN: Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Here's chappie seven.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Cloud sat at the empty bar at the Seventh Heaven, his glass still untouched after he'd poured it hours ago. The room was dimly lit, the only sound heard was the faint swishing of the overhead fans. He stared at the counter top, not really seeing it, his mind flashing back to the events that transpired that afternoon.

That man... it _couldn't_ have been Zack. Cloud had watched his best friend die almost five years ago. Besides, Zack would never hide from anyone, and he wouldn't look at him with eyes that were so... _broken_. And yet, though his brain was telling him that there was no possible way, his heart told him that that had truly been Zack Fair, ex-SOLDIER First Class... the man who died saving his, Cloud's, life.

"Why did you look away like that?" Cloud whispered to himself. "Are you afraid of me, angry at me... did you even know who I was?"

His phone going off broke the silence and after seeing Reeve's number on the caller I.D, he picked it up on the second ring. "Reeve," he greeted. "Did you get the results?"

"I did," the other man said with a sigh.

"And..."

"The hair fibers that we picked up from that wheelchair came back as a positive match when compared to the DNA of Zachary Fair."

Cloud closed his eyes and ran a hand through his already messy spikes. "How... how is that possible?" his whispered. "Reeve, I watched him die..."

"Perhaps he was brought back, although I would think he would be in better condition than what we saw him in. Or maybe he never died at all; he may had gotten so close that you would presume he was dead, but never actually died. I can't tell you what happened because I don't know, I can only guess. What I can tell you is that was the real Zack, and not some copy or clone."

Cloud sighed softly, leaning back in his seat. "Alright, thanks Reeve," he said.

"Anytime," Reeve replied before Cloud hung up.

The blonde looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps to see Tifa coming from the back. "Who was that?" the bartender asked.

"Reeve... the results came back positive. That was Zack... he's alive."

Tifa's eyes widened as a hand came up to cover her mouth. "Oh, Cloud..." she whispered.

"After all these years," Cloud said, "I thought he was dead. Why didn't he come to me?"

"He must have had a reason," Tifa said, walking over and covering Cloud's hand with her own. "Who knows how bad off he was before. Maybe he couldn't come to you."

"Maybe..."

"So, what now?"

Cloud looked up at his childhood friend, eyes glowing with determination. "I'm going to find him."

* * *

Paulene stood near the wood stove, cutting vegetables into the water filled pot that simmered over it. Her brown hair fell down her back in gentle waves, after just taking it from the braid it had been in since the night before. She looked up from her work to look out the window. She could see Zack and Kayleigh out back, the girl helping the ex-SOLDIER work out.

Zack was currently doing curl-up as Kayleigh held his legs bent at the knee and his feet flat on the ground. He was shirtless, the exposed skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat. His upper body physique was almost back to how it'd been before, the lean muscles rippling under sun-kissed skin. But the muscles in his legs refused to work, making Zack unable to stand without Kayleigh's help, let alone walk. As the older woman watched, Zack came up for the last time and remained sitting up, arms resting on upraised knees. She could see their lips moving and then they both started laughing.

She couldn't help but smile. _Those two are happy together,_ she thought. _They are holding each other together through all of this. I don't think Zack would have recovered as well as he had without Kayleigh._

A knock on the door cut through her musings and she stepped away from the stove, wiping her hands off with a towel before dropping it onto the table. She went to the door and opened it, sighing at who was on the other side. "I figured you'd show up sooner or later," she said.

Cloud Strife looked at Paulene, mako tinted blue staring into mako tinted brown. "He's here, isn't he?" he asked.

Folding her arms lightly over her stomach, she leaned against the door frame and sighed heavily. "You shouldn't have come," she told him. "I'd be lying if I told you that he'd be happy to see you."

"So he does know who I am."

"Among other things, yes. A lot of his memories are still missing, but they are slowly returning day by day." Paulene sighed again, this time softly, and straightened up. "I won't stop you from seeing him, you have that right. But, don't expect a warm welcoming. Even though he's still the same Zack, in a few ways, he isn't."

"I don't expect him to be," Cloud said. "I just... I have to see him. All of this still seems so unreal."

Paulene only nodded and stepped aside, letting the blonde walk in, before closing the door. She led him to the back door and before she opened it, she looked at him. "Just to warn you... his controls over his emotions is still very fragile. He may say some words he doesn't mean or explode into a rage at the smallest thing. Just don't take it personal. I think that, deep down, he really does miss you, but he's afraid."

"Of me?"

"In a way... more like, afraid of you seeing him in the state he is in now... you'll see." And with that, she opened the door.

* * *

Cloud couldn't help but stare at the two people that were outside. He watched as Zack did pull-ups on a bar between two poles as the young woman from before had her hands resting on his hips. One thing that he noticed right off was the blue in the girl's hair that hadn't been there before. _Or perhaps it's always been there, and she just covered it up,_ he thought. Then he looked at Zack; his friend hadn't changed, except maybe he'd lost a bit of weight. Cloud could also see the scars from the bullet wounds he received that day years ago. Zack's face was set in determination as he kept pulling his body up with his arms until his shoulders were level with the bar.

"Zack," the older woman called when it became clear that Cloud wasn't going to say anything. "You have a visitor."

Zack lowered himself until his feet touched the ground and the young woman wrapped one of her arms around his waist. From where he stood, Cloud could see her muscles tense in her arm and shoulders, as if she was helping Zack hold himself up. _What the..._

The raven haired man's eyes fell on Cloud, the violet orbs narrowing at the sight of him. "Kayleigh," he said, without looking away from Cloud, "get my chair."

"You got it?" the girl, Kayleigh, asked, looking at him. The question confused Cloud even more, but he understood when, at Zack's nod, she let go and he saw Zack's arm muscles tense as he continued to hold the bar over his head; his friend was holding himself up with his arms. Kayleigh brought a wheelchair over, a much newer one than the one in Edge, and Zack lowered himself into it.

Cloud felt something twist in his chest in pain and realization as he watched Zack physically lifted each leg with his hands to rest them on the leg rests. Although his upper body was in great condition and close to full strength, his legs were useless; Zack couldn't walk anymore. _Oh, Zack..._

"Kayleigh," the older woman said, "can you come help me with dinner?"

Kayleigh hesitated, her eyes looking at Cloud briefly before she looked at Zack. The ravenette gave her a nod and he took her hand to place a small kiss on her palm. "It's okay, Kay-Kay," he told her softly.

The girl nodded and with a soft caress over the scar on Zack's cheek, she walked away, passing Cloud as she entered the house. The door closed behind her and Cloud found himself alone with Zack.

Neither man spoke for several moments, but just stared at each other. Finally Zack broke the silence with a heavy sigh and looked towards the ground, running a hand through his hair. "What are you doing here, Cloud?" he asked, his voice bitter.

"What do you think?" Cloud asked, frowning. "I came to see you. I just... I can't believe that you're still alive."

"Believe it, buddy," Zack said, spreading his arms out wide. "I'm the real deal. But that still doesn't answer my question..." He wheeled himself over to the small picnic table where a gray shirt laid. As he pulled it over his head, he said, "I'd thought I made it clear when I didn't say anything to you back in Edge..."

"I thought you didn't know who I was, or that... you're mad at me..."

Zack whipped his head around to look at Cloud. "Mad at you for what?"

"Leaving you on those cliffs..."

"For Ifrit's sake, Cloud!" Zack exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I don't blame you for that! Hell, even I thought I was dead!"

"Then why are you pushing me away?" Cloud asked, becoming angry.

"Look at me, Cloud!" Zack cried. "I didn't want you to see me like this! I'm nothing compared to what I once was..."

"That's it?" Cloud asked wearily. "Zack, none of that matters to me. I mean... we're friends, right?"

Zack blinked, unable to respond. But before he could get his mind to work, a crash sounded from inside the house and they heard Kayleigh cry out, "Zack! Come quick!"

Cloud moved aside as Zack wheeled himself into the house and he followed him. When they reached the kitchen, Cloud stopped in the doorway, utter shock at what was before him freezing his body.

The older woman was collapsed on the floor, coughing violently into her hand, her body trembling. When she pulled her hand away, it was covered in blood, which also flecked her now pale lips. The younger girl, Kayleigh, was holding the woman upright, her blue eyes widened in fright. She looked up at Zack's approach and said, "She's never had it this bad, Zack! Something is wrong!"

"Kayleigh, go get the doctor," Zack said calmly. "I'll take care of Paulene."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," the woman said as she tried to stand before collapsing again and going into another fit of painful coughs.

"Don't be so damned stubborn," Zack said, a saddened smile on his face. He leaned over to lift the older woman onto his lap, cradling her close to his chest. "Go, Kay-Kay," he told Kayleigh, who nodded before running out the door.

"Zack, is there anything I can do to help?" Cloud asked. "I could call Reeve-"

"No!" Zack snapped, glaring at Cloud. "We don't need your help." He then looked away and said softly, "We were friends, Cloud... but too much has changed now. I'm sorry..."

"Z-Zack..."

"Just leave... please Cloud..."

Cloud stared at his best friend and sighed softly. "If you need me, you know where I am." When Zack only nodded, Cloud turned and headed towards the front door. Before he walked out, he said, "It may have been years, but nothings changed. You're still the same Zack to me, whether you like it or not. And then, with that, he left.

* * *

"_At least someone is keeping up," Zack said, looking over at the cadet that was keeping pace alongside him as they walked up the snowy mountain towards Modeoheim._

"_Well," the cadet said, "I'm a country boy too."_

"_From where?" Zack asked the cadet, slowing to a stop._

"_Nibelheim," he replied. When the SOLDIER burst out laughing and turned to walk towards the trails edge, the cadet asked, "How about you?"_

"_Me?" Zack asked, turning back to the cadet. He tapped himself lightly on the chest with his fist and replied, "Gongaga." The cadet started to chuckle and Zack started back towards him, pointed at him and asked, "Hey, what's so funny about that! You know Gongaga?"_

"_No," the cadet replied, "but, it's such a backwater name."_

"_Ditto Nibelheim!"_

"_Like you've been there?"_

"_I haven't," Zack admitted, "But there's a reactor there, right? A mako reactor outside Midgar usually means..."_

"_...nothing else out there," both said at the same time. The two of them looked at each other before bursting into laughter._

_Zack looked back and yelled out to the Turk down the hill, "Good news, Tseng! Me and..."_

_As he turned back to the cadet, he watched as the other young man took off his helmet, revealing a head of spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "Cloud," the cadet told Zack with a smile._

"_Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts. Oh yeah!" he finished, punching the air. He then looked at Cloud and the two of them smiled as they turned and continued onward._

_Behind them, Tseng called out, "Good, carry on then!"_


	9. Chapter Eight

**AN: I'M SOOO SORRY for the long wait. It really sucks not having internet, but all of that is going to change in a couple weeks. To make up for the wait, here's a few new chapters. Hope you all like.

* * *

**

**Chapter Eight**

Zack woke with a start, his eyes blinking open. He'd fallen asleep in his chair, sitting beside Paulene's bed. He lifted his head, neck slightly stiff, and ran a hand down his face with a groan. _Of course Cloud's appearance would bring about that memory. That was when we first met. It was right before Angeal..._ Zack frowned when his mind went blank and sighed. He was getting tired of his memory being all chopped up and tossed like a salad.

He looked over at Paulene, who was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Her breathing was a bit too shallow for his liking, but it didn't look like she was in pain now. The doctor couldn't do anything, saying that the side effects of the mako poisoning was starting to get the best out of her.

She had about a year left, if she didn't receive better treatment soon.

"What do we do...?" Zack whispered. The WRO were the only ones that could help them, but that would mean coming out of hiding and who knew how Rufus Shinra would react to the news of Zack Fair being alive or if he heard of Kayleigh's abilities. But if they didn't come out, Paulene was going to die. "Damn it..."

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Zack looked back at Paulene as the older woman's eyes slowly opened. "You're awake," he said with a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been trampled by a chocobo... wait, make that a whole herd of them..." Paulene slowly sat up, coughing slightly as she did so.

"You should get some more rest," Zack told her.

Paulene waved her hand at him. "I'm sick and tired of resting. I feel a hell of a lot older than I really am."

"Paulene... you're pushing seventy..."

"And I was a lot healthier than this at sixty."

Zack sighed, knowing that it was a lost cause to argue with the older woman. "Just take it easy though," he told her. "I don't know how much more Kayleigh can take."

Paulene's eyes softened and she asked, "Where is she?"

"In the other room sleeping," he told her. "I said that I would sit with you for a while until she rested some."

"I've been trying so hard to protect her," Paulene said softly, looking down at her hands where they rested on her lap, "even ignoring my own state in health. But, in the end, my damn stubbornness is the one hurting her."

"She knows the dangers that it may bring if we come out of hiding," Zack said. "You're not at fault."

"But what if we're wrong? What if things have changed for the better, but we are so afraid of the past that we cannot see it?" Paulene sighed and reached up for a lock of hair that hung in her sight. When she held it up to the moonlight that came in through the window, Zack could see that the once brown lock was now snow white. "Although I hate to face it, I'm getting older," she said. "Even though I will live much longer than any old woman, my hair going white while my face still holds some youth, I won't live that long unless I face my fears and stop being so stubborn."

"What are you saying?"

Paulene looked to Zack and smiled. "I think we've hidden long enough, Zack."

* * *

"_Forget it! I'm _not_ getting on that overgrown demon chicken!"_

"_Sweet Shiva, Zack, she's not that bad!"_

"_She tried to eat my hair!"_

"_She was trying to groom you. It's not her fault that she's mistaken you for a chocobo, what with your spiky hair and all."_

_Zack pulled a face and glared at the girl astride the golden chocobo in front of him. "Why can't we just walk?" he whined._

"_Because it's too far to walk, you know that. Now get on, or I'm leaving you behind."_

_Zack sighed wearily and he approached the chocobo. As he scrambled up onto it's back, settling himself behind Kayleigh, he asked, "Why did Paulene have to give you a chocobo for your birthday?"_

"_Because it was an orphaned chick and she knew that I've wanted one for my own since I was little," Kayleigh replied, looking over her shoulder at him with a smile. "Now hold on." With that, she faced forward again and gave the chocobo's side a nudge with her heel. The bird gave a soft "wark" and began to move at a steady trot._

_Zack wrapped his arms around Kayleigh's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder as they left the village and began to head towards the falls where they would spend the day swimming and just hanging out with each other._

_As much as he complained about the chocobo, he really didn't mind riding. In fact, he rather enjoyed it, especially when he was with Kayleigh. He loved the times they spent together, just the two of them. He really didn't know what he'd do without the strawberry-blonde in front of him._

"_I'm glad we're friends, Kay-Kay," he told her._

_Kayleigh looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Where'd that come from?" the thirteen year old asked._

_Zack shrugged and said, "Just felt like telling you, that's all."_

_Kayleigh smiled warmly at him and said, "I'm glad we're friends too, Zack." Then she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek._

"_Ugh!" Zack exclaimed playfully, wrinkling his nose at her. Kayleigh laughed and then nudged the chocobo into a full canter, making Zack yelp and hold onto her harder._

_Unknown to the both of them, in three months time they would be separated and not see each other again for almost ten years.

* * *

_

"This is it?" Reeve asked in astonishment.

"Yeah," Cloud said softly, looking at the run-down house before them.

"Great Gods," the commissioner whispered. "If I had known that there were people here living in such conditions..."

"It was chance that we found out at all," Cloud said. "They've been pretty good about keeping themselves under the radar."

"Are you sure about this?"

Cloud nodded his head. Just that morning, Tifa had found a note addressed to him stuck to the front door of the bar. In a handwriting Cloud thought he'd never see again, it said one thing: _We need your help._ He immediately called Reeve and the two of them headed into the ruins of Midgar.

As the two of them neared the house, they could faintly hear the sound of music coming from within. "A piano?" Reeve asked.

Cloud shrugged as they reached the door. He knocked on the door and the piano music stopped. A few moments later the door opened revealing the younger woman, Kayleigh. He could see the faint green glow of mako in her eyes, which were a deep sapphire blue. As she looked up at him, he could see the wariness and fear in those eyes and that her body trembled just slightly. "We got your message," Cloud said softly. "Can we come in?" He felt sorrow as the girl hesitated, almost shrank back at the sound of his voice. _Is she that afraid? What exactly happened to her?_ Finally the girl nodded and walked off, leaving the door open to them.

Cloud and Reeve walked in, closing the door behind them. There was no one in the kitchen, so they proceeded to the next room. The blonde inhaled deeply when he saw Zack sitting near the window, arms folded across his chest as he looked outside, not even turning his head at their entrance. Kayleigh was sitting on the back of the couch where the older woman sat on the end, legs folded beside her under a woolen blanket. His eyes widened at the condition of the woman. In just a few days, the woman's face had become gaunt-like in appearance with dark circles under mako-tinted brown eyes and her hair was now snow-white instead of the chocolate brown he remembered it being. Even as he watched, the woman started to cough and from the corner of his eye, he saw Zack tense up at the sound and close his eyes. Cloud also noticed the way Kayleigh seemed to situate herself where she sat at their entrance, almost in a guard-like stance over the older woman. Her blue eyes were on them, watching their every movement, the fear pretty much gone now but still wary.

"My- what happened to you, ma'am?" Reeve gasped. "You're quite ill!"

"And I have been for some time now," the woman said. "I was fighting it pretty well, but it's starting to get the better of me. Please, sit down. I believe we have a lot of explaining to do."

Cloud and Reeve took a seat on the other couch in the room. Reeve gave the two woman a kind smile and said, "As you may already know, my name is Reeve Tuesti, Commissioner of the World Regenesis Organization, or the WRO as most call it-"

"And formally Shinra's most loyal lap-dog," Zack snarled from the window.

"Zachary!" the older woman snapped, which then led her to cough slightly. Kayleigh shot Zack a look and Cloud swore he heard, with his mako-enhanced hearing, her let out a soft warning-like growl, which Zack must have also heard because he looked at her with the corner of his eye and stayed silent.

"Don't worry, it's quite alright," Reeve assured her, not being able to pick up on the growl with his weaker hearing. He then gestured to the blonde beside him and said, "This is Cloud Strife, again, as you may already know."

"I'm Paulene Augustine, and this is my adopted daughter, Kayleigh." Paulene then looked over at Zack and said, "You already know Zack..."

"About that..." Reeve said. "How...?"

"We found him," Kayleigh said, "an hour later after..." She didn't have to finish; they knew what she meant, Cloud especially. "He was so very close to death that we thought that he wouldn't make it, but his heart was strong. But he was in a coma for a few months before waking up partly and remained in a comatose-like state for four years. Only five or so months ago he woke up fully, but with hardly any body functions and no memories of his past. He remembered a good portion of his childhood, and bits and pieces of his early days in Shinra. He also remembered me, Paulene and you, Cloud."

"Me...?" Cloud asked in amazement. He then frowned as he asked, "He knew you two before?"

"Kayleigh and Zack knew each other since they were in diapers," Paulene said. "Kayleigh and I are originally from Gongaga, the same village as Zack. I use to babysit the two of them a lot when they were little. When Kayleigh's parents died, I took her in, and Zack was over almost every day."

Reeve looked between the three of them and asked, "Why stay in hiding for so long? Shinra was taken down years ago..."

"We... can't tell you everything yet," Kayleigh said softly. "Not until we feel that we _can_ trust you. But with Zack being the way he was and our past with Shinra, which is the cause of Paulene being so sick, we were afraid to come out. Even more so when Deepground appeared, proving that all of Shinra's lackeys were still around, waiting to strike."

"I understand," Reeve said. "And neither I nor anyone else will ask of your pasts until you are ready to reveal them. But, what is your illness, Paulene?"

"Five years ago, I got mako poisoning. Not severely, but enough to damage my immune system and other parts inside my body. Before, I suffered terrible headaches that would leave me bed-ridden for days. Now... the doctor said that now my lungs have weakened and that I quite possibly have tuberculosis. He said that I'll be lucky to have another year to live unless I'm given better treatment, which brings us to why we've asked for you to come here." Paulene sighed wearily and said, "I'm tired of hiding and I'm not ready to die. I know that you may have the means to cure me... and Zack."

"Zack?"

"The strength in his upper body has returned, as well as about 75 percent of his memories. But, he cannot walk, no matter what we tried. He's paralyzed from the waist down. We hope that you could help him walk again."

"This isn't about me," Zack said, turning to look at Paulene. "I'm not the one who's dying here."

"And I don't want to die seeing you still stuck in that wheelchair, so don't even try to argue with me."

"You know that you won't win, Zack," Kayleigh said with a smile.

Zack smiled faintly and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know," he replied with a sigh. Then he mumbled under his breath, "Stubborn old bag..."

"Pain in the ass brat," Paulene shot back with a faint smile on her lips.

Cloud couldn't help but smile slightly at the exchange. In those few seconds, he'd seen the old Zack again. He looked to Reeve, who nodded, before turning back to Paulene. "We'll help you, and we will keep the three of you safe from anyone who would try to harm you. The WRO screens people thoroughly before they hire them, and they are in no way connected to Rufus Shinra or his Turks, else I wouldn't be working with them all the time. The people of the WRO are trustworthy."

"And that means something, coming from Cloud," Reeve said, giving the blonde a smile. He looked at Paulene and said, "We have the best doctors in Gaia. We'll get you back to full health, Paulene, and," he then looked at Zack, who looked back at him dead in the eye, "we will get you, Zack, to walk again."

A huge grin spread across Kayleigh's face and, with smooth agility and speed that shocked Cloud and Reeve, she launched herself off the back of the couch and made her way over to Zack. When Cloud looked at Zack, he saw that the young man was staring down at the floor and although his hair was slightly in the way, Cloud could see the tears swimming in those violet eyes. Kayleigh wrapped her arms around Zack and said, "Zack, they can help you walk again."

Zack nodded and rubbed at his eyes with his hand. "Yeah..." he said, and then he looked at Cloud and gave the blonde a hint of his trademark grin.

Cloud couldn't help but give a small smile in return.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

It felt weird, walking in the open, but at the same time Kayleigh never felt so free in her life. But she still kept her guard up as she walked down a hall of the WRO headquarters. She was dressed in new clothing that Reeve had had brought to her: mid-thigh length, low cut black shorts, knee-high black leather combat boots, a black tight fitting sleeveless top that went just above her belly button under a silvery fishnet, sleeveless top that fell just past her hips, with a black leather belt around her hips to hold it in place. Her hair was done up in two French-braids, the blue in her hair twisting through them.

Almost two weeks have gone by since they let Reeve and Cloud take them to the WRO headquarters and during that time frame, Kayleigh had decided to reveal her abilities to the two men, after they swore that only they would know for the time being and not tell anyone else, not even Cloud's friends. Paulene had nearly busted a blood vessel when she found out and Kayleigh found her ears still ringing two hours after the older woman had screamed at her. Also, Cloud took it upon himself to train her as a fighter, though she did surprise him when she showed that she knew quite a bit already. She had the same agility, grace, speed and strength as a SOLDIER. She found working with Cloud enjoyable and she soon found herself trusting the blonde more and more each day.

Paulene's treatments were going well. Although the doctors said that she was to be on bed-rest for a while longer, they said that she was improving and would be up and about within a month's time. Even though that wasn't too long, it still had the older woman grumbling irritably. Zack would laugh and Kayleigh would tell her to quit whining, which then led to the two of them bickering and Zack laughing even harder at both woman.

When the doctors checked Zack over, they found that one of the bullets had grazed his spinal cord near the small of his back. They said that a centimeter more over, it would have been impossible for him to ever walk again. He went into surgery and although it took them a bit longer than usual to do the procedure because of the time that past since the injury had happened, they were able to reverse the damage and start Zack immediately on his therapy.

Which was what Kayleigh walked in upon when she got to the door of Zack's room in the infirmary wing. She paused at the door, neither Zack or the therapist noticing her arrival. Zack was sitting up on the bed, dressed in a plain white shirt and gray sweatpants, the therapist standing beside his bed. She watched as the therapist slowly bent Zack's knee and then lifted his leg up to stretch his thigh muscle. She saw Zack wince slightly as the unused muscles and joints were forced to move and work again. The therapist noticed as well, for she stopped and asked, "Are you alright, Zack? Is it too much?"

Zack shook his head, his face determined. "It's alright," he said. "Just burns a little."

"That's good," the therapist replied. "It means the muscles are stretching properly and we are making some progress." She continued until she straightened and lowered Zack's leg back onto the bed.

Kayleigh decided then to make her presence known so she lightly tapped on the door. The therapist looked up and smiled. "Hello," she said, "come on in, dear. We are just finishing up."

Kayleigh nodded and took a seat in a chair across from Zack's bed. The young man smiled at her and mouthed a "Hey", which she returned, before returning his attention back to the therapist.

"Okay, Zack, to finish up," the therapist said, "I want you to focus on moving your left foot."

Zack nodded and, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, he set his face and concentrated on his foot. Kayleigh watched as well, unknowingly holding her breath as the seconds ticked by. Finally Zack, slowly but surely, began to move his foot up and down. A grin broke out across his face as the therapist clapped. "Well done, Zack. Now, try the other one." He did and the results were the same. Kayleigh couldn't help herself as she jumped out of her chair and rushed over to Zack, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I did it, Kay-Kay," he said, reaching up and wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

Kayleigh kissed him on the cheek and said, "Good job."

"Yes, good job indeed," the therapist said. "That's it for today, Zack. Now, those leg braces I ordered should be in at the end of the week, so we can start working on you standing, and soon walking, on Monday."

"Sounds good," Zack said. "Thanks Jodi."

The therapist nodded and then with a smile and nod to Kayleigh, she left.

Kayleigh looked at Zack, eyes dancing excitedly. "Standing and walking already?" she asked in amazement.

Zack nodded, a grin on his face. "Yeah," he said. "Jodi says I'm progressing really well, and quickly which we are guessing is caused from the mako. The braces she's talking about will give me support when I stand and walk, just until my legs get stronger. I'm almost there, Kay-Kay."

Smiling, Kayleigh made herself comfortable on the bed next to him, snuggling close with one arm draped across his chest with her head on his shoulder. Zack chuckled slightly as he relaxed back against the pillows, wrapping one arm around her shoulders while the other rested around her waist. "This bed is hardly big enough for the both of us," he told her.

"I know," she replied, "but it's so lonely in our apartment by myself. I miss sleeping on the floor next to your bed."

Zack quirked an eyebrow at her and asked, "You'd rather sleep on the floor?"

Kayleigh slapped him on the chest lightly, as he laughed softly, and said, "You know what I mean. I miss having you guys around."

"Yeah, I know," Zack said, nuzzling the top of her head with his nose. "I miss you too."

"And Paulene?"

"No, not really... OW!" Zack yelped when Kayleigh smacked him harder. "Yes, you know I miss her, although it's hard to sometimes when I can hear her yelling at the nurses and doctors from the other side of the infirmary wing from time to time." The two of them chuckled at that before Zack held her closer to him and said, "Tell you what? I'll talk to my doc and Reeve and see if I can leave the infirmary wing and move back to the apartment. I've recovered enough from the surgery now and I can come down every day for therapy. Plus, I think Paulene will sleep better knowing that you're not alone in the apartment anymore, cause Gods know I will."

Kayleigh sighed and rolled her eyes. "I told you two not to worry about me..." she grumbled, but then sighed and said, "but, it will be nice to have you back."

The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. Kayleigh closed her eyes, listening to the steady thumping of Zack's heart in his chest as he gently stroked the back of her shoulder with the knuckled of his fingers. She felt herself being lulled to sleep and was pulled back when Zack let out a content sigh and said, "So things might actually turn out normal for us after all."

"As normal as things could get for an ex-SOLDIER and a shape-shifter," Kayleigh replied.

"Well, yeah, I mean, now we can make lives for ourselves, and not worry about hiding anymore."

Kayleigh sat up and looked at Zack. For the first time in a long while, she saw a glimmer of hope in his violet eyes. She reached up to finger the silver stud in his left earlobe before brushing her fingers over the scar on Zack's jaw. "Yes," she said softly, "we can. We can actually live again and this time, we'll do it together. No Elders, no Shinra, no _anything_ will separate us again."

Zack nodded as he skimmed the backs of his fingers against her cheek before cupping it in his large, calloused hand. Kayleigh took in a shaky breath as his fingers brushed along her hairline at the side of her neck and his thumb gently stroked her lips. "Zack..." she whispered breathlessly as their faces inched closer.

"Kayleigh..." he spoke softly, his voice slightly hoarse, eyes darkening to a more deeper shade of violet.

Her eyes began to flutter close as she began to feel his quickening breath ghost across her lips...

A knock on the door jolted them back to reality and they quickly pulled apart as Cloud slowly walked in. He blinked at the two of them and said, "Oh... s-sorry... I... I can come back later..."

"No, it's okay," Kayleigh said with a smile. She stood up from the bed, hearing Zack sigh wearily, and she looked at him. "I should go and visit Paulene, or she'll get out of that bed and come after me."

"Yeah," Zack mumbled, running a hand through his dark hair. "Guess you're right."

Kayleigh smiled and she took Zack's hand to give it a gentle squeeze. "How about I come back for dinner? I'll bring something so we don't have to eat hospital food."

"Okay, sounds good to me. Tell Paulene I said hi."

Kayleigh nodded and then giving Cloud a friendly smile and wave, she left the room. As she walked down the hall, she brought her fingers to her lips , which were still tingling from Zack's caress.

* * *

Zack watched as Kayleigh left and let out a frustrated sigh. He then turned to Cloud and glared at the blonde.

"What?" Cloud asked.

"You know what..." Zack replied. When Cloud gave him a sheepish smile and shrugged, he let out a huff and slouched back against the pillows. "Damn it, Spike, your timing sucks..."

Cloud chuckled as he leaned against the opposite wall. "Sorry," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest, eyes sparkling with mirth.

Zack shot him another glare as he also crossed his arms over his chest. "Since when did you become so cocky?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm usually not," the blonde replied.

The two men stared at each other before laughing. Sighing, Zack shook his head and smiled at the blonde. "Just like old times, eh buddy?"

"Yeah," Cloud said with a small smile. He then looked at Zack in the eye and said softly, "I'm glad you're back. I missed you."

"Me too," Zack replied. He then looked away from Cloud, his smile fading. "And... what I said before... I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Cloud said, shaking his head as he walked up to Zack. "Like I said, we're friends. Nothings changed in four years, okay?" The blonde held his forearm up, waiting.

Zack looked at Cloud and gave the blonde a relieved smile before raising his own forearm and bumping it against Cloud's. "Yeah," he said. "Thanks, chocobo-head."

Cloud sighed and said, "You remember that damned nickname..."

"Of course! Don't you like it? It fits you well."

"I'd prefer Spiky, if I had to choose..."

Zack laughed and shook his head. "So, what's up?" he asked the blonde.

"Oh yeah," Cloud said, turning back to the door. "Almost forgot..." He walked out for a moment and when he walked back in he was carrying what looked like a large sword wrapped in burlap.

Zack already had an idea what it was when the other swordsman set it down across his lap. "Cloud..."

"It rightfully belongs to you," his friend told him.

Swallowing a lump that suddenly appeared in his throat, Zack sat up and slowly pulled away the wrappings, revealing the fully restored Buster sword. The metal shone brightly, the blade sharpened and the leather on the hilt had been replaced. "Cloud... I..." He closed his hand around the hilt...

...and let out a cry as a memory exploded painfully into his head, dragging him in so deeply that all he saw was the memory, playing before him like a recording... as if he was reliving it:

_Zack stood over his mentor, Angeal's, body as it began to degrade, white feathers scattered around them on the floor._

"_Zack," Angeal said, looking up at him with a smile, "you have my thanks."_

_Zack let out a shuddering breath as tears welled in his eyes. _This can't be happening..._ he thought. He knelt down beside Angeal, his body trembling._

"_This... is for you..." Angeal held out the Buster sword to Zack._

_He tried to hold back the sobs that began to escape through his mouth, but failed. Just letting the tears fall freely, he took the Buster sword from his mentor... father... friend..._

"_Protect your honor," Angeal said with his last breath, "always..." Then Angeal closed his eyes, never to open them again._

_Zack gasped painfully. _This can't be real..._ he thought. But it was, he realized, as he fell back onto his heels:_

_Angeal was gone._

_After a moment, Zack stood. He looked down at the sword be held before bringing it up in front of his face and resting his forehead against the side, gripping the hilt with both hands. **Embrace your dreams,**__Angeal's voice filled his head. **If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams... and honor.**_

_Zack then lowered the sword to his side, looking down at his mentor with pain filled eyes. He then lifted his face to the sky as it began to rain..._

"Zack...! ZACK!"

"NOOO!" Zack screamed, breaking free from the memory. Cloud was gripping his shoulders, blue eyes wide and face pale. "I KILLED HIM!" Zack cried. "I KILLED HIM!"

"Killed who?" Cloud said loudly, trying to get to his friend. "Zack, snap out of it! Killed who?!"

"ANGEAL! I KILLED HIM!" Zack continued to scream, the pain and anguish coming back, tenfold since he'd forgotten it. He gripped the hair at the sides of his head as he released his pain, anguish and sorrow in screams and cries, dimly aware of Cloud taking away the sword as he hollered for help.

Two nurses rushed in followed by Reeve, who asked, "What's happened?"

"A memory... a bad one..." Cloud replied. Reeve nodded and hurried out.

The nurses tried to calm him but to no avail. As they ran out to get the doctor, they were nearly knocked over my Kayleigh. The girl's eyes were glowing green from the mako running through her and she ran to Zack, jumping onto the bed and sitting on her knees beside him. "Zack!" she cried, gripping his shoulders tightly and shaking them. She then held his face between both her hands. "Zack, look at me!"

Zack opened his eyes, that he didn't remember closing, the once violet orbs now glowing bright green. "I killed him!" he sobbed wildly. "I killed Angeal! Angeal's dead because of me!"

"Zack..." Kayleigh whispered. She then looked around at Cloud and asked, "What happened?"

"I returned the Buster sword to him," Cloud said, "and I think it triggered the memory. Kayleigh, if I had known, I would have never..."

"It's not your fault. It was bound to happen sooner or later." She then turned back to Zack and said, "Zack, please, you need to calm down." But Zack couldn't; he was too lost in the painful memories.

A nurse came in, wheeling Paulene in a wheelchair. The older woman didn't ask what happened, but had the nurse bring her to Zack's other side and she took the young man's hand, eyes bright with worry.

The doctor came it, a syringe in hand, Reeve right behind him. Kayleigh snarled at the doctor, baring teeth that suddenly looked sharp, and the doctor faltered back. "It's okay, Kayleigh," Reeve explained, walking over to the girl and resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's only a mild sedative. It will calm him down. If he keeps this up, he may work himself into a heart attack."

Kayleigh looked at Reeve and seeing no lies on his face, nor sensing it off him, she nodded. Reeve looked at the doctor, giving him a nod, and the doctor walked up to Zack.

But when Zack saw the needle, his fit grew to a whole new level. "NO!" he roared and went to swing at the doctor, but Kayleigh shoved him down, lying him flat on the bed.

"Zack, it's okay. It'll help you relax. I won't let him hurt you."

But Zack couldn't hear her. He continued to thrash and Kayleigh cried, "Cloud! Help!" Cloud held down one arm, Paulene and Reeve the other and Kayleigh straddled his waist, holding his shoulders down. The doctor didn't prep the area or anything, he just jabbed the needle into Zack's upped arm. Zack roared and continued to fight them, but the sedative was quick to work.

Slowly his struggling lessened and his screams died down. Cloud, Paulene and Reeve slowly released their hold on him, but Kayleigh remained. Soon, Zack's body only trembled slightly and soft sobs escaped his lips. "See?" Kayleigh whispered, gentle brushing her fingers through his hair on the side of his head. "It's okay."

Zack's eyes, still glowing brightly, looked into Kayleigh's own brightly glowing ones. "Kay-Kay..." he whimpered.

"I'm here," she told him and then, not caring about the other people in the room, she moved so she was laying down next to him on her side, wrapping her arms around him. "Everything will be okay. I've got you..."

Still sobbing quietly, Zack used the last of his strength to turn himself onto his side, pressing his face against the corner of her shoulder and neck, his hands coming up and around to her back, gripping her shirt tightly. Kayleigh started to run her fingers through his hair once more, lulling him into sleep. A minute later, Zack let out one last breathless sob and succumbed to the darkness.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

"You should go to your room, Paulene."

"I'm alright."

Kayleigh sighed wearily as she looked at the woman who sat next to her at Zack's bedside. She sat on the edge of his bed while the older woman sat in her wheelchair, holding one of Zack's hands between both of her own, white hair falling loose around her shoulders. But, Paulene looked drained, her skin color off and Kayleigh knew that she'd missed a treatment this evening. "We don't need Zack feeling guilty that you took a slight decline because of what happened today."

Paulene sighed and nodded, too exhausted to be stubborn. She then snarled softly and said, "The time he needs us the most, I can't be there for him the way I should be."

"It's not your fault," Kayleigh told her. "And besides, he knows that you care about him and are here for him as much as you possible can at the moment. He wants you to get better too."

"Yeah, I know... but still..." She reached up and brushed a stray strand of his hair back. "He's a good kid. I sure hope to hell that he pulls through this."

"He will... he's stronger than he thinks."

Zack let out a soft moan and the two of them their breaths as his eyelids began to flutter. It was the first time he moved since he'd fallen asleep. Slowly, his eyes opened half-way, violet orbs still fogged from the sedative. They looked up at Kayleigh and slowly moved over to Paulene. "P-Paulene," he mumbled, voice slurring slightly. "What you doin' here..."

"Hey, kiddo," Paulene said, smiling. "Just wanted to make sure that you're going to be okay."

"You... should be... in bed..." he argued, his lips turning down in a slight frown.

"Yeah, I know..."

"Go..." Zack told her. "I... see you... later..."

"Alright, so the two of you are gaining up on me. I'll let you slide this time." She gave Zack's hand one last squeeze before she wheeled herself out of the room and flagged a nurse down to take her back to her own.

Kayleigh looked down at Zack, taking one of his hands and running her other hand through his hair. He was still lying on his side and she watched as he shifted himself slightly closer to her. "How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Groggy..." he mumbled. "Head all fuzzy... like bunnies..."

Kayleigh giggled softly and Zack's lips quirked in a small smile. "The Doctor said that the drug should be all worn off by the morning. For now, you need to rest. Cloud told me to tell you, if you woke up, that he had to head back home because of the kids, but he would come in to check on you in the morning."

"How long...?"

"You've been out for about five hours now. It's past dinner time."

"Dinner... aw poohie... we didn't get... to have... dinner..."

"That's okay," she told him. "I'll make up something extra good tomorrow."

Zack nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Kayleigh's. "Think... Angeal... forgives me...?" he asked her softly.

Kayleigh smiled and nodded. "If he was the kind of man that Cloud told me he was, then I'm sure of it. Besides, from what I heard, there is nothing to forgive, and I believe that he'd say the same thing."

Zack sighed with content and his eyes fluttered closed. Kayleigh smiled and, leaning down, she pressed her lips against his. When she pulled away from the brief kiss, he smiled slightly without opening his eyes. "No fair..." he murmured. He then tugged on her hand and Kayleigh rolled her eyes, knowing what he was asking without words.

"Even doped up, you're still the horn-dog of Gaia," she told him, calling him something that she use to when they were teenagers, as she pulled her boots off and laid down under the blankets beside them, laying on her side facing him.

Zack mumbled something that sounded along the lines of, "Am not," as he snuggled into her, nestling his head under her chin, arms wrapping around her waist.

"This is a one time thing, mister..." she said jokingly. "Don't get use to it."

Zack's only answer was a soft sigh as he fell back asleep.

Kayleigh couldn't help but smile and she nuzzled her nose into Zack's hair, breathing in his scent. "Goodnight," she whispered, "Zack..."

* * *

_Five year old Zack ran through the heavy rain, his black hair and dark clothes throughly soaked. The streets were empty, most of the townsfolk at the town hall for the reception after the funeral. But out of all the people, he had been the only one who noticed that a certain little girl had disappeared. Well, Paulene must have as well because before he left, she had looked at him, nodded and given him a sad smile. So now he ran, having a good idea of where she could have gone._

_He found her at the exact place where her parents had died, on the hill that overlooked the village. Her black dress was soaked, blonde hair that was tied up into a ponytail with a black bow hanging limply. She was just staring off into the distance, waiting..._

_Zack had heard whispers on how her parents died. Some sort of monster had killed them, a monster that they haven't seen since. He couldn't understand what kind of monster would just kill two people and then disappear without a trace. But it must have been a monster, because no human could do what had been done to those two people... the caskets had remained closed for that reason._

_He slowed to a stop when he reached the girl. Slowly, so not to scare her, he gently touched her shoulder. "Kay-Kay," he said softly. "Come on, it's raining. Let's go back."_

"_No!" the four year old cried. "I'm waiting for mummy and daddy!"_

"_Kay-Kay..." Zack said softly._

_The little girl looked at him, hazel eyes big. "They're coming back! I know it! They won't leave me! They promised that they would never leave me!"_

"_I... I don't think they're coming back," Zack said softly. "Kay-Kay, they're gone..."_

"_No! No! NO!" Kayleigh screamed, the air around them getting colder and the rain slowly turning to snow. "They have to come back! Who will take care of me?"_

"_I will," he told her. "I'll take care of you. I'm your best friend, it's my job, right?"_

_Kayleigh just stared at him, eyes slowly filling with tears when it dawned on the little girl that her parents were never coming home. With a wail, she threw herself at Zack and the boy held the girl who sobbed for her lost parents. He held her tightly as he, too, cried._

_And all around them, snow slowly turned back into rain.

* * *

_

The first thing Zack became aware of as he slowly gained consciousness was the scent that filled his nose. It was a woodsy smell that was slightly cool, like the scent of a forest after a fresh snow fall. There was also the alluring aroma of the Night-blooming Jasmine, a rare flower that grew around Gongaga that only bloomed and opened its petals to the light of the full moon.

It was a scent that came from only one person he knew.

He opened his eyes slowly, finding himself looking into Kayleigh's sleeping face. Her lips were parted slightly and he could feel her soft breath against his face. Several strands of hair had come loose from her braids, a few falling over her face, fluttering with every breath. She looked so peaceful, so damned beautiful that it made his gut tighten up slightly.

Events from the day before slowly came back to him and he shuddered. The memory of Angeal's death... he now remembered everything that had happened to his mentor that led to that moment. But some areas were still fuzzy. He remembered Sephiroth, the Sephiroth he knew before the man became twisted and evil, being involved, but there had been someone else...

Zack shook his head slightly; he didn't want to think of it now. He pushed it to the back of his mind so he could think of it later. But, the fact remained that Kayleigh had been there and never left him, and he couldn't help but smile at that.

Suddenly, Kayleigh let out a soft moan and, before Zack could stop her, she went to roll over...

...right out of the bed, hitting the floor with a loud _thump_. Zack heard her yelp and he quickly looked over the bed. He couldn't help but burst out laughing once he saw that she was alright.

"Har, har, har," Kayleigh replied to his laughter sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," Zack said, smiling down at her. "It's just... well..." He couldn't help but start chuckling again.

"Spare me, Zachary Fair," Kayleigh grumbled. She sat up so they were eye level. "Sometimes, you're more trouble than you're worth." With that, she flicked him between the eyes.

"OW!" Zack yelped, his eyes instantly beginning to water.

Kayleigh smiled evilly at him before standing, only to sit on the edge of the bed. "Quit whining," she said. "I didn't flick you _that_ hard."

Zack shot her a mock glare as he rubbed between his eyes. Then he sat up and grabbed a hold of Kayleigh's arm, pulling her so she fell against him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and lowered his face to her shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered.

He felt Kayleigh smile as she buried her face into his hair. "I'm with you now, Zack, and I'll never leave you," she muttered softly.

"I know, but... I guess I just felt like saying it. I don't think I ever really thanked you for everything you've done."

"You don't have to, Zack," Kayleigh told him. "We promised to each other once that we would protect and be there for each other."

Zack looked up at her and grinned. "I remember that. Damn, we were young when we made that promise."

"We were, but a promise is a promise after all."

"Yeah, and I'm going to hold on my end of the deal. I'm not gonna have it be one sided. I'll make it up to you." He held her face in between his hands and said, "Just let anyone try to get to you. They'll have to come through me first. I failed to protect you when I gave up looking for you; I won't fail again."

"Zack..." Kayleigh said, but before she could say anything more, he pulled her face to his and pressed his lips against hers.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers threading through the hair at the back of his head, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to him. _Ten frickin' years I've waited to do this, hell if I could wait any longer._ Their lips moved softly and gently against each other, then began to grow more heated by the second. White hot heat flashed through his body as she emitted a soft moan when he flicked his tongue against her bottom lip. She parted her lips, granting him access to taste more of her, to delve into that hot cavern that he craved like a drug. He explored every corner of her mouth before curling his tongue around hers. He couldn't stop, didn't want to stop, the deep moan that came up through his throat as he pulled her down as he laid back, her lying on top of him. He continued to kiss her deeply for several more moments until oxygen became too much of an issue.

They slowly pulled back from each other, panting heavily as they looked into each other's brightly glowing eyes. Finally, Kayleigh gave him a smile and said, "'Bout damn time, asshole."

Zack grinned up at her and, with a soft growl, pulled her back for another heated kiss.

* * *

_Zack slowly walked into the large cavern, the sound of the waterfall cascading down the rocky wall echoing around him. The fifteen year old let out a soft, saddened sigh as he took his last look at the place that meant so much to him. But it seemed empty now, seemingly having no point to it... now that she was gone._

_There wasn't even a trace that she'd been here at all. The house already had a new family living in it, all of their belongings gone long before he and his parents had returned from Costa de Sol. No one talked about them anymore. It was like she'd never existed. But he knew she did; the proof that she did was in his hand._

_He looked at the crystal sphere that he held in his hand, the one that Kayleigh had made from ice so many years ago. He could see the faint light that pulsed inside of it, which he figured was the magic that prevented it from ever melting. Reaching into the pocket of the trousers of his Shinra cadet uniform, he pulled out a kerchief and gently wrapped the sphere into it. He watched as a slight frost formed on the cloth, still being able to feel the coolness of ice that emitted from the icy blue orb._

_Walking over to a small hole that he had made in the cavern wall, he placed the orb inside, far enough back that it wouldn't be seen: not like anyone would ever find this place. When he removed his hand, he looked down. On the cavern wall, a foot or so below the sphere's hiding place, was a drawing that had been scratched into the rock. The crude drawings of a little boy and girl holding hands, the boy having distinguishing spiky hair and the girl with shoulder-length hair, hadn't faded away despite the years. Kneeling down, he rested a gloved hand over the picture that he and Kayleigh had drawn when they were children so long ago. He didn't bother to stop the tear that trailed down his face._

"_Guess I'll be leaving my heart here," he whispered softly to the drawing. "But, I'll come back for it someday, and when I do, it'll be when we're together again."_

_He then stood up and, giving his and Kayleigh's special place one last look, he turned around and walked out of the cavern. It was time to start his journey towards SOLDIER, and he knew he would make it, he had do..._

_Because he promised someone that he would come find her when he did.

* * *

_

**AN: Yay, a little bit of fluffiness! Review! Pweeze??**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Hi.. so umm... I'm not dead? -dodges flying objects- For those who have been waiting two years for an update... I'M SORRY! Please don't hate me! This thing call life got in the way, plus the fact that every time I tried to go back to this, I had a HUGE writer's block... But when I reread all this a week ago, chapter 11 just started to write itself. And tonight... I just spent over three hours typing this chapter up, _because I couldn't stop!_ My hands kinda hurt now... But yeah, I'm back and I'll be updating as much as possible, and I can promise you all that you won't have to wait another two years for the next update.**

**So here it is, what a few of you have been waiting two years for: Chapter 11 :) R&R**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Sunlight streamed in through the window of the bedroom, casting its light and warmth over the queen-sized bed that was occupied by two sleeping figures. As the sun continued to slowly rise, its light slowly made it way up the length of the figures until it began to rouse one of them with its brightness that seeped even through his closed eyelids.

Zack awoke with a soft grunt, his eyes slowly opening so they could adjust to the morning sunlight. He gave the sun a half-hearted glare through the window before he let loose a yawn, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes and then run it through his hair. His other arm tightened instinctively around the body that was snuggled against his side, head resting on his chest over his heart. He looked down at Kayleigh as she sighed softly in her sleep, pressing herself closer to him as her own arm tightened just marginally where it was wrapped around his waist. He smiled softly as he brought up his free hand to brush away a few strands of hair so he could watch her sleeping face.

This was his third morning waking up next to Kayleigh in their new apartment nearby the WRO base. Like he said he would, he talked to his doctor and Reeve about moving back into the apartment, seeing as he pretty much fully recovered from the surgery. After some debating, the doctor agreed, as long as Zack came by every week for the next month for a check-up, and discharged him. Another thing the doctor made him do before he left was take some of the sedatives that he had to give Zack that day when the memory of Angeal's death came back to him, just in case he ever had a reaction like that again. He and Kayleigh had grimaced at the sight of the package of single use hypodermic needles they'd been given, along with a vial of the sedative, but agreed. Taking that, as well as a prescription of pain medication, they had made a brief stop to Paulene's room to tell her the good news.

Reeve also had new clothes sent to the apartment for him to replace the ones he had worn in the slums. Kayleigh had been practically bouncing around the apartment his first day there, excited that he was finally home, and made up a special dinner for the both of them. After giving Zack a tour of their new home, they had their first actual dinner, at an actual dining room table and not on one of the hospital bedside tables, together since leaving the slums. They had talked and joked about times when they were kids and Zack told Kayleigh about some of his antics during his time training to become a Soldier First Class, that he could remember anyway. He also told her a bit about Angeal and all the good times he'd spent with his mentor. There was a air of sadness about him as he told her, but most of the stories made Zack smile and sometimes got them both laughing.

"'Zack the Puppy', huh?" Kayleigh said, laughing. "Gotta say, Angeal saw the same thing in you that we did while we were growing up."

"Yeah, you would have like him, Kay-Kay," he replied with a sad smile. "And when I told him a bit about you, he always said that he'd like to meet you someday. Wanted to meet the girl that 'tamed the puppy' he use to say." He looked down at his plate sadly and muttered, "Wonder what he'd think of me now..."

Kayleigh had reached over and taken his hand in hers. "I think he'd be proud," she whispered. "Most men in your position would have given up long before, but you keep fighting."

Zack looked up at her and gave her a small smile, tears in his eyes. "Some hero I've become..." he said hoarsely.

"It doesn't take physical strength to make someone a hero."

Zack was broken from his reminiscing by Kayleigh shifting and giving an irritated moan. He looked down and smiled as he watched her open her eyes slightly. "Morning Beautiful," he said softly.

"Ugh..." was her reply as she hid her face against his chest. "Zack, turn off the light..." she grumbled, her voice muffled and her breath tickling the bare skin of his chest.

Zack chuckled and said, "Sorry, don't have that kind of power. But I do have the power to make some damn good pancakes, while sitting in a wheelchair. How many men do you know that can do that, huh?"

Kayleigh giggled as she lifted her head to look up at him, her dark hair brushing his skin, causing a tingle to run down his spine. "Gotta say that you're the first, but how do I know that yours are so great? Got no one else to compare them to."

"Hey now, it's too early in the morning to be picking on me. I'm not fully awake enough to come up with a witty remark."

"Kind of the point, baby," she said with a wicked grin, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Alright, that's it," Zack replied with a mock scowl, "no pancakes for you."

Kayleigh laughed before leaning up and kissing him gently on the lips. Zack moaned softly as she deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her more securely and moving her to lay fully on top of him. He ran his fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head as her hands gripped his shoulders. They were both panting when they finally pulled away, eyes glowing slightly.

"Am I forgiven?" Kayleigh asked once she was able to speak.

"Hmm..." Zack said thoughtfully, and then, before she could react, he flipped them around so she was now on her back and he was hovering over her. He could help but smirk in triumph; although his legs still couldn't quite yet support his weight on their own for him to walk, he was finding himself becoming more and more mobile every day with the limbs he thought he'd never use again. He could stand for brief moments with some sort of support, like using the counter to reach for something on the shelf in the kitchen, and changing positions in bed or wherever he was sitting was so much easier now. _Oh yeah, _he thought as he looked down at the woman below him, _being able to move around in bed easier definitely has its perks._

"I don't know," he replied, giving her a saucy smirk. "I think I may need more convincing." And with Kayleigh giggling again below him, he dipped his head down for another kiss.

Looks like the pancakes were gonna have to wait.

* * *

Zack wheeled himself down the hallway in the direction of the battle stimulation rooms. He'd gotten out of therapy early, and was done for the weekend, and thought he'd surprise Kayleigh by dropping by where he knew her and Cloud had been training throughout the afternoon. He passed several WRO employees, giving a brief nod to each with a slight smile, which was always returned. That was one thing that made the people of the WRO different from the ones who worked with Shinra: everyone treated each other equally, no matter which position they were in or how high up the totem pole. At the end of the day, they all wanted the same thing accomplished- more progress towards the restoration of Gaia. Hell, he even has seen Reeve get his hands dirty, and he was the damned leader!

As Zack turned a corner, he blinked in surprise at who were standing in front of the viewing screen of the stimulation room he knew Cloud and Kayleigh were using. _Speaking of the devil..._ Zack couldn't help but think with a smirk as he recognized Reeve standing there. The other man was tall, taller than Zack himself by a few inches, and thin, with long dark brown hair held back by a red bandanna wrapped around his head, dressed in black leather and a long red cloak that was frayed at the hem. He didn't need to see the golden clawed gauntlet on the man's left arm to know that he was looking at Vincent Valentine.

The two men turned at his approach. Reeve smiled warmly at him and said, "Zack, you are looking better every time I see you. Just get out of physical therapy?"

"Yep, and done for the weekend," Zack said with a nod. "I'll be working on walking with the parallel bars starting Monday."

"Excellent! You're progressing very quickly. You'll be back on your feet in no time." Reeve then looked at Vincent and then said, "Forgive me, where are my manners... Zack, this is Vincent Valentine."

Zack held out his hand, which the gunslinger took, and gave it a firm shake. "Hey," he replied, "nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," Vincent said in a deep, somewhat gravelly voice.

Once they released from their hand shake, Zack looked at Reeve and asked, "So what are those two up to in there?"

Reeve shook his head, astonishment on his face. "Take a look for yourself," he said, moving over slightly so Zack could wheel up close to the screen to look.

He blinked in shock at what he was watching. Cloud and Kayleigh were in a stimulation that put them in a canyon during a raging thunderstorm, surrounded by monsters. Cloud moved with the agility and speed of a Soldier First class. His large blade, the First Ken, cut down any monster that got too close. As Zack watched, Cloud detached one of the six blades that made up his sword and began to use them both, swinging the larger of the two just as easily with one hand as he did with two. Kayleigh moved as if she were dancing, and a deadly dance it was. She moved fluidly, slicing at the beasts with her two katanas she seemed to favor using. At one point, she swung her upper body around from the waist a complete 360 degrees, leaning forward to cut down the ones before her and swinging to her right until she was leaning back to cut down the ones behind her before continuing on through the turn until she was upright again, slicing down all the beasts that surrounded her.

"She could have made Soldier, with skills like that," Reeve said in awe.

"She was definitely trained well," Vincent said with a nod.

"Yeah," Zack said, still watching in amazement. It was hard to believe that the deadly warrior he was watching was once the little girl that use to dump sand into his swim trunks whenever they went swimming when they were little. _It's still Kay-Kay though, no matter what those Elders trained her to be, or what Hojo tried to turn her into. She's still my best friend, my girlfriend... and hopefully soon, lover._ Zack shivered at the thought. Even though they haven't gotten any further than heavy kissing sessions, like the one he shared with her that morning, they weren't in any hurry either. Zack was still healing and Kayleigh had to deal with practically sitting on Paulene to keep her in the hospital wing for her treatments and honing her own skills. They also had ten years of catching up to do as well. When the time came, they would know it. Zack wanted the moment to be special, to mean something. When the time came, it wouldn't just be sex; he wanted to make love to her.

"I could use her help as well, in this next mission you want me to go on," Vincent said, making Zack come out of his thoughts.

"Wait, what?" Zack said, looking over at Vincent. "What do you mean? What mission?"

"I asked Vincent to check something out for me, in the Northern caves," Reeve answered instead. "We've been picking up some strange readings over there for the past few days. Vincent was going to ask Cloud to accompany him, which is why he's here."

"And you want to ask Kay-Kay to go with you too?" Zack said, panic creeping into his voice.

Before Vincent could respond, the door to the BSR opened, making the three men realize that Cloud and Kayleigh had finished. Kayleigh spotted Zack and she smiled happily before dancing over to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before plopping herself onto his lap, causing him to let out an "oof" sound. "Hey," she said, "I wasn't expecting you to be here so- what's wrong?" She noticed then that there was still a slight panicked look in his eyes. "Zack, what's going on?"

"Yeah," Cloud said, looking at Vincent. "What are you doing here, Vincent?"

"Reeve's asked me to check something out at the Northern caves. I thought I'd ask if you'd like to accompany me."

"Those strange signals?" Cloud asked Reeve, who nodded. He looked back at Vincent and said, "Yeah, I'll go with you. It wouldn't hurt to have two sets of eyes instead of one."

"But that doesn't explain why Zack looks freaked out," Kayleigh said.

"He was thinking of asking you to go too," Zack told her, his arms, which had encircled her waist when she had sat on his lap, tightening slightly.

"Oh..."

"I was watching you during yours and Cloud's battle stimulation," Vincent told her. "I figured that with your skills, I could use your help in this as well."

Kayleigh looked thoughtful for a moment and then she looked at Vincent and nodded. "Alright, I'll help you guys out."

"What!?" Zack exclaimed loudly. "Kayleigh, are you insane!?"

Kayleigh scowled at him before standing. "Last time I checked, no," she replied, hands resting on her hips.

"You don't know what's out there!" Zack said, anger creeping into his voice. "What if it's something, or someone, that'll put you in danger again?"

"Zack, we came out of hiding for a reason, remember?" Kayleigh snapped. "We did it because we were done with hiding, done with being afraid of the world. If I just stay here, what difference is there from when we were hiding in the slums? If I'm gonna stay with the WRO, I'm going to help them. It's the least I can do for what they've done for us!"

"That doesn't mean you have to put your life on the line!"

"Kinda like what _you_ did when you joined Soldier?"

Zack stared at her in shock, lost for words. It was soon replaced by hurt and anger. "Yeah? And look where _that_ put me," he snarled softly. He could see the sudden regret in Kayleigh's eyes for her words, but he didn't care. "You know what, do whatever you want, I really don't give a damn." With that, he spun his chair around and left, ignoring Kayleigh calling his name behind him.

* * *

Kayleigh felt like an ass. A colossal ass, about the size of the Cosmos Canyons. She hadn't meant what she'd said to Zack. The minute the words had flown out of her mouth, she wanted to snatch them back, especially when she saw the hurt that darkened his violet eyes. She stared down at the glass she held between her hands on the counter, the ice long ago melted, and sighed. She was leaving tomorrow with Cloud and Vincent. She'd already spoken to Paulene, and although the woman didn't like the idea, she agreed with it. In fact, she was more pissed at what Kayleigh said to Zack than her going on this mission.

"I'm not worried about you getting hurt or anything, cause I know that Cloud and that Vincent guy will watch your back," Paulene had said. "But damn it girl, you didn't have to say that to Zack when he's just worried about you! Try to look at this from his perspective."

And when she did, Kayleigh realized where Zack was coming from. Zack had been in Soldier; he'd been through and seen a lot of stuff that would make a lot of grown men lose it. He'd been on missions that should have been cake walks that went horribly wrong. She also knew that if he could, he'd be going with her, but he couldn't and that's what terrified him. As much as she knew he trusted Cloud, Zack would rather it be him that watched her back than anyone else, and she understood that because she felt the same, if the roles were reversed. He had to watched her leave once, and disappear, despite everything he did to try to find her. Now that he had her again, he couldn't bear the thought of losing her again. She understood that, and she felt horrible for the words she said to him.

"Just go apologize to him."

Kayleigh looked up at Tifa, the barmaid giving her a small smile. "I don't think it'll be enough," she replied sadly. "What I said was pretty hateful..."

"We all say mean things to those we love," Tifa said, leaning against the bar opposite her. "Especially when we're angry. It doesn't mean that we mean it. Knowing Zack, I know he'll forgive you. He cares too much about you to let this silly fight come between the two of you, after all you guys have been through."

Tifa straightened and said, "Besides, you can't leave tomorrow with this animosity between you two. Not a healthy thing for a relationship, especially one as new as yours."

Kayleigh gave her a small smile and stood. "Thanks Tifa, I owe you one," she said, before turning to leave. "Wish me luck," she said over her shoulder as she walked out of the bar.

She made her way back to the apartment complex she and Zack lived in. As she got closer, the more nervous she became. Would Zack still be be as angry as he'd been back at the WRO Headquarters? Would he accept her apology, or blow it off? She shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts. _We've been friends too long... he wouldn't let something like this break us apart._

She took the elevator up to their floor and took out her keys to the apartment. She let herself in, closing the door behind her and setting her keys down on the small table beside the door, noticing that Zack's keys were there as well. _At least I know he's home... but why are all the lights off?_ She made her way towards the living room, her enhanced vision making it easy to see inside the darkened apartment, and she found him there.

He was sitting with his back to her, looking out the huge picture window that overlooked the city of Edge, his left elbow resting on the arm of his wheelchair, his chin propped up on that hand. She didn't say anything, knowing that he already knew she was there. Instead, she came up behind him slowly and, bending slightly, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding her hands together against his chest and pressing her face into the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean what I said. Please forgive me."

Zack was silent and for a moment, she thought he was going to shrug her off. Finally, he let out a soft sigh and reached up with his free hand to cover both of her own. "I know," he said softly. "And I didn't mean to freak on you. I just..."

"I know, you're worried about me."

"More like scared shit-less," Zack whispered faintly.

Kayleigh tightened her arms around him and said, "I'll be okay. I'll have Cloud to watch my back, and Vincent as well."

"I know, I trust Cloud and I know he'll have your back. It's just... I wish..."

"That you were going with me."

"Yeah..."

She lifted her head and kissed him on the cheek. "I wish you were too," she replied softly.

They said like that for she didn't know how long, watching the city below them. The thumb of Zack's hand over hers brushed over them back and forth gently. Finally, he gave them a slight tug and whispered, "Come here."

Kayleigh walked around and curled up against him on his lap, a soft sigh escaping her as his arms wrapped around her. She rested her head against his shoulder and smiled when she felt him lean his head against the top of hers.

"I'll miss you," he told her.

"And I, you," she replied. "You know I'm leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Cloud called me earlier. He also assured me that he'll have your back the entire time. And I trust him, cause he always had mine, even though he was just a cadet."

"I trust him too," Kayleigh said, nodding.

Zack sighed wearily and said, "What time do you leave in the morning?"

"Early... around sunrise."

Zack lifted her chin up, his eyes locking onto hers. "Think you can afford giving this love-sick cripple a couple hours before bed?"

"I'll give you the whole night if you wanted," Kayleigh replied. "And you're not a cripple..."

Zack gave her a small, but warm, smile before lowering his head and brushing his lips against hers.

She shifted herself so she was straddling him, cupping the sides of his neck under his jaw with her hands, her thumb brushing against the scar below his cheek gently, while his hands rested on her hips. Their kisses were soft this time around, a gentle sipping of each others lips, conveying the still growing love they had for each other. They pulled back after a spell, resting their foreheads against each other, eyes remaining closed.

"Please be safe out there," Zack whispered, voice thick.

"I will," Kayleigh promised. "And next time I go out, it'll be with you by my side."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

The next day came quicker than Zack liked and he found himself waiting outside the WRO Headquarters with Cloud, the sky above already lightening although it was still another half hour or so until sunrise. Tifa was there as well with the kids, Marlene being held by Cloud, her head resting on the one shoulder with no shoulder guard while Denzel leaned slightly against Tifa, holding her hand. Both children still looked half asleep, but they'd wanted to see Cloud off on his mission. Vincent had already gone ahead the night before, telling them that he will meet them there. They were just waiting on Kayleigh, who was saying good-bye to Paulene.

"It shouldn't be more than a couple weeks," Cloud said to Zack and Tifa. "And we shouldn't run into any trouble. We're just going to check it out, see what we can find out on what's going on there, and then come right back here to discuss it with Reeve. For all we know, this could be nothing."

"Still," Tifa said, "be careful. There are a lot of nasty monsters out there."

Cloud gave Tifa a small smile and said, "Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it."

"Promise?" Marlene asked softly.

"Promise," Cloud swore, looking down at the little girl in his arms.

Zack knew he was being unusually quiet but he couldn't help it. His best friend and girlfriend were going out to investigate some wacky signal coming from the same place where Sephiroth had been defeated during Meteor Fall and where the Remnants had appeared about two years after. He wanted to go with them, to help and to watch their backs, but he couldn't... at least not yet. _Damn it... I will be on my feet by the time they come back, _he vowed to himself. _ That way, next time, they won't be leaving me behind._

He turned his head to the sound of familiar footsteps and couldn't stop the small smile at the sight of Kayleigh coming towards them, Reeve beside her. She was dressed in black cargo pants with a black studded belt, a dark gray thin strapped top under a blue-violet leather jacket and black leather combat boots. Her long hair, which now fell almost half way down her back, parted to the side so the blue framed one side of her face, curled gently as it moved around her shoulders as she walked. She returned Zack's smile and stopped beside him, taking his hand in hers. That's when he noticed the black leather arm bracers that he knew went from a little below her elbow to her wrist, where it extended a bit more to cover the back of her hand, held in place by a loop for her middle finger. Criss-cross lacing on the under forearm held the bracers securely in place. They had been a gift from Cloud, along with the twin katanas she wielded now; Kayleigh never told him why and Zack never asked, although he had a feeling why Cloud had done it.

Kayleigh looked over at Cloud and ask, "You have my blades, Cloud?"

The blond nodded and tipped his head back to where his bike, Fenrir, was parked. "Safe and sound, don't worry," he told her.

"Then that's it then," Kayleigh said with a sigh, squeezing Zack's hand.

Cloud nodded again, before looking at Marlene and saying, "You be good now, you hear? Don't be giving Tifa any trouble."

The little girl nodded and wrapped her arms tight around Cloud's neck, kissing him on the cheek. When she was set down so Cloud could say good-bye to Denzel, Marlene ran to Kayleigh, wrapping her arms around her legs. Kayleigh let go of Zack's hand to kneel down in front of the girl to give her a big hug. "Take care of Zack for me, okay?" he heard her whisper. "Whenever you give him hugs and kisses, give him an extra for me. Can you do that for me?"

Marlene nodded as she pulled back. "I can do that. I'll look after Uncle Zack for you. Will you look after Cloud?"

"I will," Kayleigh replied with a smile. She looked up as Cloud, Denzel and Tifa came over.

Cloud reached out with his hand to Zack, who clasped the blond warrior's forearm in a warrior's handshake. "Take it easy, Spike," Zack said. "Bring her home safe, or I'll kick your ass, wheelchair bound be damned!"

Cloud chuckled and said, "I don't doubt it, but I will, you know that." With a nod to each other, the two of them turned to the others as Kayleigh finished her good-byes.

Denzel gave her a hug, muttering a "be safe" to her, before pulling away so she could stand to face Tifa. The martial artist pulled her into a hug. Both of them whispered something to the other, low enough so neither Zack or Cloud could hear them. The two fast-becoming friends pulled away and Tifa stepped back as Kayleigh turned to Zack. She walked up to him and the others walked towards Fenrir to give them some privacy.

Kayleigh knelt in front of him and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against her own. "Remember what I told you when we first parted? Back when we were kids?" she whispered to him.

"That'll you'll always be with me," Zack said softly. "And I said that I'm always with you too."

"That hasn't changed," she told him. "I'll come back to you, I promise."

"You better," Zack said with a smile. "Because you're a hell of a hard woman to find." They both chuckled and he kissed her softly. He looked into her sapphire blue eyes and thought, _Might as well do it now..._

"I love you," he told her, watching as her eyes glowed brightly from his words. "I've always loved you."

Kayleigh smiled warmly and said, "And I love you, Zack Fair." She kissed him once more and then straightened. Together they made their way over to where Cloud waited, already mounted on his bike. She turned to Zack once more and reached for his hand, squeezing it. "See you later. Stay out of trouble."

Zack smiled and kissed the palm of her hand. "No promises," he joked, despite the tears in his eyes.

Kayleigh released his hand and walked up the bike. Swinging one leg over, she settled herself right behind Cloud, gripping his sleeveless shirt at his waist.

As Reeve said some final words to him, Zack watched as Marlene left Tifa's side and walked over to him. Without a word, she crawled onto Zack's lap and sat there, resting her head on one of his shoulders. Zack wrapped his arms around the little girl as Fenrir's engine revved up. The small group watched as the two drove away, still there even after the sounds of the bike's loud engine left even Zack's ears.

* * *

_Kayleigh let out an inhumane scream as she threw the closest thing she could get her hands on, a vase, against the far wall. Next was a rickety looking chair, followed by a chipped mug. Tears were streaming down her face, her hair falling around her face in dampened curls. She could sense Paulene watching her but she didn't care. She knew that someone might possibly hear her, but again, she didn't care. All she could see was violet eyes staring at her, pleading her, and she did nothing but turn and run away. Her best friend; and she _left_ him there!_

"_Can't get rid of it. I keep seeing them and they won't go AWAY!" she shrieked the last word so loud that it burned her throat. Again... she didn't care._

"_Keep seeing what, Kayleigh?" Paulene asked softly behind her._

_Kayleigh stood there, eyes swirling with mako, breathing heavily, staring at nothing, or something that the older woman couldn't see. "Eyes, his eyes... they keep staring at me and I do nothing! I left him there... Hojo was successful, he created a monster..."_

"_Don't say that..."_

"_I am! Monsters leave people behind... oh Shiva I can't stop these feelings, please make them stop!" Kayleigh dropped to her knees, staring up at the ceiling, tears still falling silently. "E yum'g guro eg, puro eg uqq va udub*," she muttered quickly and softly. "Monsters don't feel so make me stone." She then crumpled to the floor, her tiny, malnourished body shaking with silent sobs._

_Paulene walked over to the girl, her heart breaking for her. She had been just as shocked to see Zack floating in that tube of mako, but they had had no time. They would have never escaped if they tried to free Zack, and the other blond, and take them with them. Kayleigh had been silent since they left, barely spoken a work and seeming to be in a trance until they reached Midgar two weeks after their escape. And then all hell broke loose. The last time Paulene saw her like this was in their cell after Kayleigh found out what Hojo's experiments turned her into: a Shifter._

_She knelt down next to the younger girl and sat her up, holding her by the shoulders. "You listen here," Paulene said in her no-nonsense voice, "you are _not_ a monster. You are still you, proof being that you are feeling this way-"_

"_But I left him there!" Kayleigh cried, eyes still wild and glowing with mako. "He's my best friend, and I left him! What kind of best friend does that! He was begging me to free him! All those screams, they were him! All this time... I can still hear him screaming, and he'll keep screaming because I _left him_!" She dug her fingertips into her scalp and rocked slowly back and forth. "Broke my promise, broke my promise," she kept mumbling._

"_What promise?"_

"_To be there when he needs me... to protect him in anyway I can..."_

"_Kayleigh, if we had stopped to free him, we would have been caught, and you know that. We would probably never been able to get out again if we had. That was our only shot, and we took it. Believe me, I feel horrible about it, but I think Zack would understand. Knowing him, I think that he'd rather be left behind than have you get caught again."_

_Kayleigh just kept muttering to herself, lost in her grief, and Paulene sighed sadly, knowing that there was nothing else she could do but comfort the girl the best she could until this passed._

_Almost a whole other year goes by and they were still under the plate in Midgar. They blended in easily enough, at least Paulene did; Kayleigh never went out. She just drifted around the place, eating when food was put in front of her and slipping into bed to sleep when the time came. She would talk to herself, or maybe to Zack, Paulene didn't know, and sometime she would find the younger girl curled up a corner of the house weeping softly. She was like a ghost, neither here or there, just existing._

_One evening all of that changed. A notice from Shin-Ra was announced on the radio one evening, saying that two very dangerous specimens had escaped one of their labs, and that citizens should use extreme caution when venturing outside and were to report anything they see that seemed suspicious._

"_They escaped," Paulene heard Kayleigh say from behind her. She turned in her seat to see the younger girl standing in the doorway of the living room, looking more alive than she seen her since their own escape from the lab._

"_You don't know that, hun," Paulene said slowly._

_Kayleigh smiled, a real smile, something that the older woman hadn't seen in years, since the girl had last been with her best friend in fact. "I do," she said. "Zack escaped. He's coming home."_

_Six months later, they found Zack, bleeding out from bullet holes that riddled his chest, on the outskirts of Midgar amidst the signs of a battle that happened not too long ago. Kayleigh made her way over to the fallen Soldier on silent paws, and her eyes locked onto those of her best friend once again. _:We found you...: _she whispered softly in his mind and nuzzled his face._

_Zack let out a soft groan as his eyes closed again. "Kayleigh..?" he said, so soft that it could have been mistaken for a released breath._

:Rest now, I'm here. I'm here and I'll protect you. It's time I kept my promise.:

* * *

Kayleigh was jolted out of her light doze by the feel of the bike under her slowing down. She lifted her head from where it had been resting on Cloud's back and looked ahead. They were coming up to a large mountain where she could see a great deal of snow at the top. "We have to climb that?" she asked Cloud.

"No, there's a cave about a hundred feet up from the base. It goes to the center, but we won't be venturing that far. The signal isn't coming from the center, but more from one of the larger caves on the northern side." Cloud slowed his bike to a stop alongside a cliff wall before cutting the ignition. "We'll be going on foot the rest of the way," he told her. "Don't want to alert anything that may be there."

Kayleigh nodded and dismounted from the bike after Cloud. The blond opened the compartments of his bike to retrieve his sword as well as her own. She shrugged out of her jacket and rested it on the bike before securing the sheaths of her swords to her back by leather straps that criss-crossed over her chest. The cool air nipped at the bare skin of her arms, but she wasn't bothered by it; the cold hardly ever bothered her anymore.

Her and Cloud set off on foot, she following Cloud, as they steadily climbed up the rocky terrain. It was several hours of walking and it was well past nightfall when they reached the area where the signal was coming from. They were sitting up on a ledge that was above the cave that gave them a clear view, but kept them out of site. Vincent was already there, waiting for them.

"Have you seen anything yet?" Cloud asked, keeping his voice low.

"There are people moving around down there, lightly armored," Vincent replied. "No idea who or what they are, and why they're here."

"Have you tried getting closer?"

The ex-Turk shook his head. "Too risky," he replied. "When I scouted around earlier, I noticed that they have sensors that detect humans..."

"So it won't pick up any kind of animal then?" Kayleigh asked.

"I believe not, no. Humans have a different life force than animals, not to mention body temperatures."

"Alright then," Kayleigh said before removing her sheaths from her back and handing them to Cloud. "I'm going in."

"I just said-"

"Wait and see Vincent," Cloud told the gunslinger before turning to Kayleigh. "Be careful down there. The minute you sense danger of any kind, get out of there."

"Don't want Zack to kill you?" Kayleigh said with a wicked smile.

"There's that, but I personally don't want to see anything happen to you," Cloud gave her a smirk and said, "I kinda like you."

Kayleigh grinned and patted Cloud's arm and then pointing behind a rock. "I'll change behind there. Get my clothes afterwards please, in case I have to run, in which I'll meet you two back at Fenrir." at Cloud's nod she moved towards behind the rock. Quickly shedding her clothes, she then closed her eyes and focused on the change. She felt the mako rush through her veins and felt a tingling rush over her skin as her body shifted into another form. Once the change was complete, she stepped out from behind the rock and stretched, opening her jaws wide in a yawn.

Vincent's eyes had widened slightly in shock and Cloud gave a small smile as he stood and made her way towards him. "Too embarrassed to change in front of us?" he asked playfully.

Kayleigh growled and replied, _:You've been spending too much time with Zack.:_

Cloud shrugged and patted her on the back, his face turning serious again. "Go on, and be careful."

Kayleigh nodded and she began to make her way down the from the ledge and towards the caves. She slipped by the devices Vincent was talking about unnoticed and let out a mental sigh of relief. She made her way towards where she could hear voices, silent as a shadow. Crouching down low, she inched her way closer until she could hear the voices easily, hiding herself amongst the shadows of the jutting rocks and boulders that was around the cave.

Vincent was right, all these men were soldiers of some kind, but they were helmeted, so she couldn't make out their faces. But they all seemed to be the same height, walked the same way... and there was no scent coming off of them. _Odd..._ she thought to herself. She kept watching, hoping to hear something interesting.

The wind shifted and suddenly her nose was assaulted by the scent of ashes, rotting flesh and cloth, and graveyard soil. Her ears flattened against the top of her head and she tried not to breath through her nose, considering for a split second to shift back so she wouldn't have to smell that god-awful scent. Her ears swiveled forward again when she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the cave. She watched as two figures walked out. One she didn't recognized, but the other made the blood freeze in her veins. _Im-impossible! _The two men began to speak, and she strained her ears to listen, to pick up every word...

* * *

"So... she's a shifter then?"

Cloud smirked slightly. He was beginning to wonder when Vincent would voice his curiosity about Kayleigh. "She wasn't always," he told him, a frown replacing the smirk. "Hojo experimented on her. She's an elementalist, water and ice..."

"The Heavenly Guardian?" Vincent asked.

"Err... yeah," Cloud said, nodding. "What do you know about the Heavenly Guardian?"

"Myths and legends really, at least, so I thought," Vincent said. "Basically goes on about how one who is able to control water and ice as naturally as breathing. The air around them changes at their will, and they can make rain turn to snow and back again. Supposedly, they would have been blessed when they were an infant, chosen before they were born. They are very powerful... no wonder Hojo had her taken to be experimented on..."

"He tried to turn her into a beast that could be controlled, but obviously, it backfired," Cloud said. "She told us that she's been able to use her gift since she was a little girl, and Zack confirmed it."

Vincent frowned and began to ask, "How does Zack-"

"We gotta move!"

Cloud and Vincent spun around before quickly averting their eyes. "For Ifrit's sake, Kayleigh, could you have gone behind the boulder again?" Cloud asked while thinking, _Zack will kill me if he knew I saw his girl naked..._

"No time to be shy, Cloud," Kayleigh snapped, bending to snatch her clothes up. "We've got trouble, and we need to get back and tell Reeve."

"What did you-?"

"Genesis is back..."

* * *

_*I can't take it, make it all go away.**  
**_

__**So yeah... that language Kayleigh was speaking... you'll find out about it soon enough xD**

**And I made a new cover photo! It's hard to see but the person portraying Kayleigh is Summer Glau. That's how I picture Kayleigh when I write this, especially after seeing Summer in Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Hell, I picture Paulene as Sigourney Weaver xD Anyway, if you want to see a larger photo of the cover, follow the link on my profile page. **


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